Gear + Hardware

For some reason, I wasn't familiar with Burga, which may actually make the coolest phone cases and tech accessories that I've seen for a very long time. And I've been sharing cool iPhone cases and cool Android phone cases for a very very…

While CyberMonday deals kind of started a week ago, making this entire week CyberWeek, it's not to say that you can't get some fantastic deals on tech products today -- some of which have been on for a few days, some of which are brand n…

With yesterday's Apple announcement of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max (and I am sooo excited!) I've heard a lot of gripes about the switch from a lightning charge cable to a USB-C charge cable . Here's the deal in a nutshell-- and it's ac…

If you're looking for a cool but practical tech gift for your favorite grad, we've got you covered. Better yet -- all online! (Hey, we're busy!) Whether you're shopping for your own first-time freshman, or a lucky niece, nephew or grandc…

I know firsthand how hard it is to decide when is the best age for kids to have their own cell phone . On one hand, we want them to be able to reach us if soccer practice gets out early or they want to leave a sleepover at 1am, but expos…

This is a sponsored message from Dell It's now so easy to spoil yourself -- or anyone in your life -- with the gift of technology this holiday season. That’s because Black Friday has come super early at Dell . Meaning right now. Today! F…

If your kids are using a laptop or Chromebook for their schoolwork (or gaming), there are a few simple things you can do to help them avoid tech neck . Yes, it's totally a thing (says the person who's on her computer most hours of the da…

This is a sponsored message from Dell If you're looking for a new laptop, computer, or tech accessories, this is a great time, thanks to Dell's Black Friday in July sale . Starting June 30, visit Dell.com/CoolMomTech for big savings off …

This is a sponsored message from the pixsee Baby Monitor If you have been looking for the high-tech baby monitor that "does it all" -- and more -- you'll be amazed by the pixsee baby monitor . It's not just an incredible (and adorable) c…

Father's Day is coming up and while we always have loads of last-minute Father's Day gift ideas for you over on Cool Mom Picks, I was poking around to find some deals for you late shoppers. Turns out, there are some fantastic tech gifts …

We've officially hit the point of full Apple product saturation in our household -- and as so many parents in our Out Tech Your Kids community tell us, they have too. So what do you do when you're all basically on Apple devices, your kid…

How magical are these snow globe Pop Sockets that I just discovered for the holidays? Yes, they perform the exact same function as regular Pop Socket grips in preventing dropped phones during selfies, but also, THEY'RE SNOW GLOBES. In ca…

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Google With a new tablet for kids high up on lots of holiday wish lists this year, it's important for parents to ensure that the new device is set up properly. But it's not just about making sure the…

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Google Raising digital natives who are curious about the world around them can be challenging for parents. From keeping up with their ever changing interests to encouraging their creativity, parentin…

Who says your iPhone can't get dressed up for Halloween too? These fun Halloween iPhone cases are the perfect way to get a little festive for the month of October -- and beyond. But especially now, with so many costumed trick or treaters…

As someone who now regularly attends physical therapy, let me be the first to advise you about the importance of ergonomic laptop accessories: So important! Given how much time we all spend on our computers these days, it really pays in …

The upside of my family existing in the Apple device ecosystem together is that we can all share cords and cables. The downside? We can all share cords and cables. So I was thrilled to come across these personalized cord tags from Deligh…

Each time there's a live streaming Apple Event to announce the new products and updates, we watch diligently to see what's new for parents and families, or which advances and improvements will actually make our lives a little easier, mor…

Over the past year, I have been so grateful for the sleep stories on Calm and some of the Apple Music playlists to help me fall asleep. The one issue: I was sometimes waking up in the middle of the night, my AirPods still in my ears...my…

Welcome to May, the month in which top brands lets everyone in the press in on all their new products supporting and celebrating June's Pride Month. Some of these products...well, it feels like pandering TBH, but in the case of Apple, th…

We've been fan of CASETIFY's fun iPhone case mash-ups for a while now, and so I was so happy to see them announce their new collection with -- yep, you guessed it -- the United States Postal Service. This new USPS collection celebrates t…

Apple's all set to release the new iOS 14 sometime this fall. And since an operating system update is the only way I'm marking time these quarantine days (Kidding! Mostly.) I was pretty stoked to explore the new features in their preview…

Did we mention that we have the coolest readers? Eric (aka EricSketch on Twitter) has been reading our site for quite some time now, so when we spotted this Baby Yoda Bluetooth speaker in his Twitter feed we were like "HOLY MANDALORIAN!"…

We're going into our 10th year of Cool Mom Tech and our 2nd year of our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook group that's almost at 4500 members! We know, we can't believe it either. Every year, we share our 10 most visited posts on Cool Mom Tech…

There are some folks on our lists who love tech gifts, but prefer the more practical tech gifts to the gaming systems or the entertainment consoles. Or hey, maybe they love both but just have some specific needs this year. If that's the …

We've got lots of cool tech gifts for big kids and teens , not to mention some awesome STEM holiday gifts for kids as part of our Holiday Tech Guide, but what about us? We love tech too! Except sometimes, the tech gadgets we want aren't …

Next up in our Holiday Tech Guide 2019 , we're sharing the coolest tech toys and gifts for tweens and big kids. We know that they can be tricky to shop for, so we've done the research for you (not to mention asked our own tweens and big …

On Tuesday, Apple hosted their big Apple Event 2019 and announced some pretty exciting new products and services. If you had time to watch it live, this time streaming on YouTube (whoa), then you've probably heard all of this before. But…

Last week, my daughter Sage and I had a great time talking with the crew from News12 (NYC, Long Island, Westchester) about our favorite fun, educational apps for grade schoolers that help your kids make the most out of screen time. I'm g…

My daughter and I have the same taste in books, generally, so we love sharing anything good we've read lately. That's typically been much easier to do with hardcopy books than digital ones, but now you can set up a Family Library for you…

This weekend, inspired by the Cool Mom Picks book club video chat about How to Break Up with Your Phone , I decided to try one of author Catherine Price's tips to help me be more mindful about my screen time, and more aware of how much I…

Attention, new parents! We've found one of the coolest new high-tech baby products: the Nanit Breathing Wear that monitors baby's breathing for you by "reading" ink patterns on the swaddle or breathing band. We've been fans of the Nanit …

Yesterday, I spent a good two hours live tweeting the bigger Apple announcements at their 2019 developer conference that would be of interest to parents. Like, news about parental controls, photo sharing, and home security? Yes please! N…

Just when you might have thought Apple was done with the iPod touch , they announced a brand spankin' new one. You're not alone in the head scratching because they haven't updated the iPod since 2015. That's like 20 years in Apple years!…

I had an original Apple Watch way back when it first came out, and I really liked it. I also ended up feeling like it was "another thing" -- another thing to charge, another thing to take care of, another thing to buy accessories for. So…

This is a sponsored message from Relay So many parents want their kids to have the safety and security of a phone, especially over the summer when kids have a little more freedom, and a little more run-around-outside time. And yet, those…

With my 12-year old son heading to middle school next year, I've got the the typical parental worries, which these days includes trying to figure out the best first laptop to purchase for him. Yes, my baby is all grown up and needs his o…

If you're looking to add some new books to your summer reading list, you'll want to head over to Amazon right now and download the 9 free Kindle books they're offering today in honor of World Book Day. But hurry, you've got about 30 hour…

We can't tell you how much debate we've seen over the simple question, "when is my kid ready for a smartphone?" It brings out nearly as much stress, passion and well, sanctimony, as questions about breastfeeding or sleep training. Well, …

Yes, we're all still getting a lot of mileage out of "there's an app for that" because...well, it's true. Especially on iOS , though Android is doing a little better keeping up these days. Over the past year, there are a few apps that I'…

Turns out the Apple One-Year Warranty is way more flexible than you might realize. Or as the store associate told me on a recent visit, "you got Beats headphones that are not working or coming apart in any way? Just bring it in and we'll…

We're so excited watching Apple's big announcement today about the brand new MacBook Air . With the title of Apple's most affordable MacBook (the price tag starts at $1199) we imagine lots of parents are going to be considering this for …

When I decided to upgrade to the new MacBook Pro at the end of last year (hello, tax write-off), I thought I had a good sense of what I was getting into. Heck, I wrote the article about it here on Cool Mom Tech when Apple first announced…

This is a sponsored message from Relay So many parents want their kids to have the safety and security of a phone, and yet those kids aren't necessarily ready for all the responsibility and liability that comes with owning one. It's a ma…

As an Apple family, we've seen various iterations of devices in our home over the years. And that means, different chargers, different ports, you get the idea. But that doesn't necessarily mean you need to buy a bunch of other cables and…

These audio backpacks I spotted at Spencer's definitely have the cool factor, with everything you need in a back-to-school backpack and something extra: a speaker! Related: The coolest backpacks for preschoolers and little kids I admit t…

I've already publicly proclaimed my love for AirPods . And I still love them just as much, even after all these months. But, in a few cases when you need a headphone jack, they don't work. That's why the AirFly is so genius. Related: I t…

We've been long time supporters of Project (RED), featuring lots of their awesome collaborations here on Cool Mom Tech (and Cool Mom Picks ). So it's no surprise that we're very excited about the new Project (RED) iPhone 8 and 8 plus , t…

A few years ago, we featured the Kickstarter campaign for The Light Phone , a gadget that was designed to help people separate themselves from their smartphones. Well, they've recently launched The Light Phone 2 and it's blowing up Indie…

One look at the Italian Cromatica Bluetooth speakers and...whoa. Think of this lamp-speaker hybrid like a mood ring for your home. You choose the color illumination that suits you, choose your music, then lie back and chill. Or, clean yo…

If you've always had a sinking feeling that your iPhone battery started to you know what the fan when new iPhone models were released, you probably felt vindicated last week. That's when multiple sources, like our friends at CNET , repor…

While I was getting my new shiny iPhone 8 + this weekend, I spotted these adorable My Audio Pet Bluetooth speakers at the T-Mobile store, under a big "One of Oprah's Favorite Things!" Now, I love me some Oprah, but I tend to be pretty sk…

If you've been waiting for a killer price on a Kindle e-reader (or want to stock up early on holiday gifts), now is your chance to grab a Kindle on sale! To celebrate the Kindle's 10th anniversary, Amazon is offering most of their popula…

We've seen (and owned) many iterations of Amazon's Kindle e-reader, but finally, after ten years of Kindle devices, they've launched a waterproof model, aptly named Oasis . Now, if you're like "Wait, there already was a Kindle Oasis !" y…

The iPhone 8 landed on shelves last week. So we've listed the cases to keep you covered. Literally.

Ah, September. It's the time of year when the weather changes, the kids go back to school, and Apple launches its new devices that make us all drool and try to figure out which child we can sell to afford one. Sorry, Johnny, you've left …

I'm packing up my family of six up for our exciting vacation to Hawaii (squee!), and like most parents, I'm making my tech list and checking it twice. Do we really need to bring a laptop (the answer here is NO!)? Inspired by Brian Chen's…

If you're an Amazon Prime member that survived Prime Day 2017 without spending all your money on vitamin supplements and Hummel figurine knockoffs, take a breath, clear your palate, and be sure to check out the new Amazon Exclusives page…

We love excuses to shop for cool new tech, and we love excuses to shop for the cool dads in our lives. Put them together...and we've got some really creative, fun ideas for cool tech gifts for Father's Day. Whether he's a traveler, an ad…

I'm still making good use out of my trusty, late 2013 MacBook Pro, but what I'm not making good use out of is the original power adapter and cord. It frayed (as with so many Apple cords over the years, sigh) and I immediately replaced it…

We love our portable Bluetooth speakers around here, especially as the warm weather creeps in and we aim to take our favorite music (and ahem , favorite podcasts ) outside. That's why we're smitten with the brand new Beoplay P2 Speaker -…

So what if it's the day before Christmas Eve? That's plenty of time to grab a fabulous gift for anyone still left on your list. (Or, maybe everyone if you're just starting). We put together a bunch of solid last-minute tech gift ideas yo…

As we get closer to Christmas and Hanukkah (eep!) we thought we'd close out our 2016 Holiday Tech Gift Guide should help you out since it's all about last minute holiday tech deals and discounts. Yep, those of you procrastinators and bus…

Our tech holiday gift guide continues, this time with stylish holiday tech gifts. Whether she just loves her smart phone, or considers herself a tech geek with style, we've rounded up 10 of the coolest gifts that we bet she'd love to hav…

Today at the Apple Event, the new MacBook Pro was revealed, and let's just say we are all trying to find ways to rationalize an upgrade. If you're wondering whether you might want to trade in your older model for this new laptop, here's …

As a mom of a tween who blasts music through her earbuds on a daily basis, you can bet a new article about earbuds and hearing loss caught my eye. Reportedly, there's been a 30% increase in hearing loss in adolescents (one out of every f…

As if free two-day shipping on almost any purchase and the ability to shop for groceries in my pajamas wasn't reason enough to join Amazon Prime, their newest feature, Prime Reading , has convinced me to keep on renewing my membership. P…

We have certainly covered lots of DIY STEM toys for kids and even more Bluetooth speakers here on Cool Mom Tech, but the BOSEbuild Speaker Cube is the first product I've seen that so awesomely combines these two elements. Hello, holiday …

Honestly, I'm not a hard-core audiophile who geeks out over the minute details about speaker drivers and subwoofers, but I am still picky with my speakers as I'm sure a lot of you are. I can hear the difference between a good speaker and…

This is a syndicated post from Reviewed.com, who we trust for rigorously tested, objective reviews on gadgets + gear Great news! If you only have $200 to spend on a laptop, your options are far better than they used to be. While these ma…

Over the years, we've gotten lots of questions about when kids should get their first cell phone , which we've always answered with questions ourselves, because really, it depends on a lot of factors. How old is your child? Are they resp…

As much as we already do with our smartphones, the small screen and tiny keyboard can be limiting, at least when it comes to getting actual work done. That's probably why the Superbook has completely blown its Kickstarter goal. Related: …

Prime Day is here, Amazon shoppers, which means tons of tech deals all day long, including Amazon gadgets. Surprise, right? Ha, okay. So look, if you've been waiting to get your hands on a new Kindle or an Amazon Echo, hop to it before t…

This morning as I was flipping through my emails on my phone, I discovered an email with a subject "Your Prime membership includes a free Kindle book," which I clicked right away because who doesn't love free? And to my total surprise, I…

With the warm weather here, I'm spending much more time outside with my family, whether it's just eating dinner outside or having a few friends over for an impromptu gathering. And to spruce my little outdoor space up a bit, I think I mi…

It must be the week of class action lawsuit settlements. First with Ticketmaster , and now Apple, who's required to fund over $4 million dollars in credits to eBook customers. That means if you bought eBooks on Amazon between 2010 and 20…

So, I want my daughter to read more this summer, and with all our upcoming travel, I'm considering a tablet or e-book reader but I'm not sure which is best. -Dawn We're definitely with you that gadgets can be a whole lot easier to travel…

With Father's Day right around the corner, we've started thinking about some cool Father's Day tech gift options -- in addition to the kids' plaster handprints and construction paper ties, of course. The timing of this holiday is perfect…

The best part of hosting parties in the spring and summer is that everyone can be outside, so you don't have to do a full clean-up of your house the next day. But if you tend to rely on a big indoor sound system, you may not just be able…

Moms have gone from the people who needs help getting the VCR to stop flashing 12:00 (remember that chestnut?) to those digital mavens who can help you get your phone to stop making keyboard clicks every time you check Facebook. We're mo…

Mother's Day is just around the corner, which means I get to create a list of fun tech items that I (uh, I mean mothers everywhere) may have on their wish lists. Even if they don't know it yet. So while I love all the handprints in cemen…

There was lots of news at this week's big Apple Event, from cool new developments in Apple's dedication towards sustainability to awesome new product announcements (and price changes on existing ones). We took the time to go through it a…

Recently, Amazon posted an urgent notice about a critical update for Kindle e-readers . If you have a device from 2012 or earlier, then you need to update your software by March 22 -- that's tomorrow -- if you want to continue having acc…

Now that Valentine's Day is just a few days away, we look at it as one more thoughtful opportunity to give a coveted gadget to that special someone. I love any excuse to give (or ahem, get) a tech gift. And it definitely has more longevi…

We're always excited to try out all the new gadgets each year and wow, what a long way we've come since Cool Mom Tech launched five years ago. Technology like pressure touch screens, the overwhelming adoption of streaming music and media…

This is a sponsored message from Amazon With tech at the top of so many kids' holiday wish lists this year and so many gadgets on the market, it can be hard for parents to navigate through all the options. This year, Amazon is offering t…

We are so happy to present our 2015 holiday tech gift guide, where we get to share with you the coolest, most fun, most gifty of the giftiest tech gifts for everyone you love on your list, starting with some of our favorites: The coolest…

One of the most frequent questions we're asked at Cool Mom Tech is at what age we think kids are ready to get their first cell phones. And, well, the short answer is... it depends. Unfortunately, it's not an easy fill in a number here an…

If there's one thing that's in my never enough category, it's sleep (okay, and Bradley Cooper), and I'm guessing that's the case for most parents. Well, the sleep part; not the Bradley part. But a new device on Indiegogo called REMI may …

This nice fall weather is making me want to take our entertaining outside, so the kids can run around and play while the parents can sit on the porch with a mug of hot cider (or something stronger) and chat. But since it's kind of sad to…

It's hard to believe this was my first ever year attending the Maker Faire in NYC, but yep. It's true. And now consider me an annual attendee. Thanks to our sponsor Sprout by HP who hooked me up with tickets (thank you thank you thank yo…

We've gotten to the point where my kids watch most of their shows and movies on our iPad. The sound is fine when just one of them is using it at a time, but when they're trying to share it -- which is a feat in and of itself -- the sound…

The annual Apple announcement always marks the passage of yet another year for those of us in tech -- and is also a reminder of the new, shiny iOS features that my current iPhone now lacks. Each September, we come to expect a flurry of n…

It may sound a tad hokey, but reading really is fundamental to school and life in general, which is why we've worked hard to put together 8 of the very best reading apps for older kids as part of our Back to School Tech Guide 2015. Wheth…

Unless you are a parent who just doesn't use a cell phone yourself -- which, huh? -- we guarantee your kids will be begging pretty much by the time they get to kindergarten, and see one classmate who already has one. We don't entirely th…

At a time when it seems like our favorite gadgets are getting bigger, not smaller (hello, iPhone 6+) it's pretty cool to discover the Remix Mini -- an incredible new computer that you can easily hold in your hand. Seriously. Everything a…

Question: How many Beyoncés does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer: As many as you're in the mood for, because these rad LED light bulbs are also Bluetooth wireless speakers. So basically whatever strikes your fancy when you're tu…

We've covered plenty of portable, Bluetooth speakers here at Cool Mom Tech, but I think the brand new JBL Charge 2+ basically blew all the other ones right out of the water. Heh. The JBL Charge 2+ is already getting plenty of use at our …

Plenty of coolness was rolled out at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference this week, and we're here to share the intel with you that we think parents will care about most. And yeah, non parents too. The biggest news is that Apple iOS …

Browsing the crowdfunding scene, we're always amazed by the space-age ideas being brought to life out there and making us go, whoa . Now, it's the the Light Phone , an ultra compact phone that totally looks like it's from a sci-fi movie.…