The new VW minibus: It’s electric! Boogie woogie, woogie.
I never believed them when they said it would happen to me, but it's true. I officially want a minivan. Luckily for reluctant parents like me, Volkswagen is releasing an all-electric minibus called the I.D. Buzz that could give growing families like mine an...
BB-9E is here, and he might just be the droid you’ve been looking for.
May we introduce you to BB-9E, the newest Star Wars droid? This evil counterpart of the beloved BB-8 will make his appearance in the upcoming The Last Jedi movie. But if you don't want to wait to see him on the big screen, you can bring him home thanks to Sphero....
The littleBits kit that lets kids build their own R2-D2 droid. Happy Force Friday!
Our favorite little droid R2-D2 faithfully served Padmé, Anakin, Luke, and Leia, and now, you can add your own little Jedi to the list, thanks to this new Droid Inventor Kit from CMP favorite littleBits. The Droid Inventor Kit, which is recommended for kids ages 8 and...
A first look at the new Star Wars drones from Propel. Get ready for the holiday tech gift of the year.
Each year, there's one tech gift that we see and go...yup. That's going to be the one everyone wants. And this year it's the new Collector's Edition Propel Star Wars Drones that I got to check out at a top secret press preview event this week and are available for...
This app freezes kids’ phones until they answer your texts. Awesome or intrusive?
Does this situation sound familiar, parents? You're trying to get in touch with your tween or teen, but they're ignoring your texts because they're busy playing games on their phone, which also happens to be set on silent. Well, that's what was happening with dad Nick...
Cool gamer school supplies for kids with very, very nice parents | Back to School Tech 2017
Gaming has taken over the world -- or at least our kids' brains, same as it did when we were kids (ahem). But what our kids have that we didn't have back in the day is such an amazing collection of cool gamer school supplies. Whether they're into classics like Pokemon...
3 best laptop bags for teens that will last longer than a single semester | Back to School Tech 2017
Since more and more upper and middle schools are requiring laptops or iPads in the classroom, we wanted to take a look at the best laptop bags for kids. Our requirements: They have to offer good support for our kids backs with all that heavy tech in there, and enough...
18 of the best math apps for kids, from preschool to high school | Back to School Tech 2017
With the new school year upon us, it's always good to have a list of some truly awesome math apps in our back pockets (or really, on our tablets and phones) to help sharpen our kids' numbers skills. So up next in our 2017 back to school tech guide, we've put together...
Why families will love OnStar Family Link, and how to get it for free. If you hurry. (And have the right car.)
Although I still have a few years to get used to the idea of my kids driving, I'm wavering somewhere between clutching-my-chest terrified and pop-the-champagne excited that I no longer have to be their personal Uber driver anymore. But some recent developments in car...
17 of the very best reading apps for kids, from ABCs to SATs | Back to School Tech Guide
We're kicking off our Back to School Tech Guide with some of the very best reading apps for kids and whether your kids are just beginning to string together letters to make words or they're tearing their way through Harry Potter for the eighth time, we're hoping...
5 devices that deserve to go along on my family vacation
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 piece at the New York Times...
You won’t believe what these Total Eclipse of the Sun stamps can do.
In honor of the total solar eclipse hitting our skies on August 21 (that's Monday!), the United States Postal Service has launched Total Eclipse of the Sun stamps. But the extra cool part? They actually change color. For real. Related: Everything you need to know...
Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way!) Easier
Recall alert: These glitter-filled iPhone cases are burning people. Yikes!
If you or your tween or teen loves those glitter-filled iPhone cases, you know, the ones with liquid and floating sparkles and designs, you'll want to check the manufacturer stat. The CPSC has recently issued a recall because there have been numerous reports that the...
Inbox Pause: The new amazing new Gmail feature that can get you more work-life balance.
For ages now I've touted the wonderful benefits of Boomerang for Gmail to help me better manage my incoming and outgoing email, and it seems the folks at Google like the feature themselves. Because now Gmail has actually incorporated Boomerang's technology into a...
How to figure out how much of the total solar eclipse you’ll see, based on where you live.
If you're counting down the days to the total solar eclipse (or a partial solar eclipse, depending where you live), you'll probably want to know exactly how much you'll see of it based on your location. Which is why you'll want to check this handy calculator from the...
Everything you need to watch the total solar eclipse on Monday, August 21.
We're counting down the days to the total solar eclipse that we'll be experiencing on Monday, August 21. In case you haven't heard about it (what?), or might have missed all the helpful information we've been posting here on Cool Mom Tech, we've rounded up all our...
The affordable little gadget that turns regular appliances into smart ones | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from Wemo Mini It's amazing how technology can simplify the lives of parents, especially with one of the busiest times of year upon us. And that's exactly the case with the Wemo Mini, an affordable little plug that instantly turns your...
Your living room: the final frontier
With all this solar eclipse talk (or The Great American Eclipse, if you're fancy), our kids' interest in space has been piqued. Well, even more than it already is, which is why this indoor space play tent caught our eye. Related: Where to find the best safe solar...
6 smart night lights that go way beyond our smart night light expectations.
Maybe you’re still using a sweet and simple night light that, well… lights up. Let me tell you: you’re missing out.
Think you’re creating safe, secure passwords? You might want check. Stat.
Over the years, you've probably heard a few different suggestions on how to create strong passwords, one of which was pioneered by Bill Burr, formerly of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. However, he's now saying that his method for creating secure...
The big issue with Snapchat’s Snap Map and kids that no one is talking about. But should.
When Snapchat (or just Snap, as it's being called these days) rolled out it's Snap Map feature earlier this summer, there was a lot of buzz about the safety risks it could present, especially with so many younger users. Basically, the Snap Map tracks your whereabouts,...
TripIt’s new feature makes air travel so much less stressful. We’ll take it!
If you've ever tried dragging a bunch of tired kids and all of their luggage around an airport while searching for a charging port, a snack, or a bathroom -- let alone the gate for the next leg of your flight that boards in five minutes -- you'll know why I'm so happy...
Recall alert: These glitter-filled iPhone cases are burning people. Yikes!
If you or your tween or teen loves those glitter-filled iPhone cases, you know, the ones with liquid and floating sparkles and designs, you'll want to check the manufacturer stat. The CPSC has recently issued a recall because there have been numerous reports that the...
Inbox Pause: The new amazing new Gmail feature that can get you more work-life balance.
For ages now I've touted the wonderful benefits of Boomerang for Gmail to help me better manage my incoming and outgoing email, and it seems the folks at Google like the feature themselves. Because now Gmail has actually incorporated Boomerang's technology into a...
These unicorn iPhone cases for teens and tweens are magical!
These days, back to school shopping almost always includes a new iPhone case, especially if you're like me and you've got a tween or teen in the house. Unicorns were hot last year, but they seem particularly hot for back to school season this year. We're seeing them...
It’s all about that space, ’bout that space.
It's back to school time, which also means, back to school shopping time. That's why we launched the first installment of our annual Cool Mom Picks Back to School guide, full of the coolest space accessories for kids. Yay geeks! From school supplies to cool shoes,...
How one tiny device is keeping families a whole lot safer on the road | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from Bouncie With parents -- and teens -- spending so much time on the road, road safety is always a top concern. for families. That's why you need to check out Bouncie, a smart little device that easily plugs into your car (no tools...