The 15 coolest new tech gadgets of the year: Editors’ Best Tech of 2015
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, the desire for portable...
The best apps for parents of the year: Editors’ Best Tech of 2015
Next up in our Editors' Best of 2015, we're sharing our picks for the best apps for parents. All of these apps made their debut in 2015 and really do help make our lives as parents a lot easier. Though, the truth is, plenty of these apps are terrific for non-parents...
Our editors’ most helpful tech tips of the year: Editors’ Best Tech of 2015
Over the course of the year on Cool Mom Tech, we’ve put together so many helpful tech tips and tricks, many of which are answers to reader questions we get via email, over Twitter, on Facebook, and heck, even from our friends and family in person! So we've combed...
A very Merry Christmas to you, cool moms!
Here's hoping that all your gadgets come fully charged, your cables stay untangled, and you don't step on too many Legos today. (You'll need more than the force to help you with that one). Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday! - Kristen, Liz, and Team Cool...
Where to stream or download your favorite Christmas and holiday movies right now
Ah, remember the days that you'd run to Blockbuster Video Christmas eve to find there was like one copy of Silent Night, Deadly Night left and that was pretty much it? No more! We asked our staff and our Facebook fans for their favorite Christmas and holiday movies,...
Make your own Star Wars BB-8 and more, with free tutorials from littleBits
To celebrate the release of The Force Awakens -- you have heard of it, right? -- the team behind one of our favorite tech toys, littleBits, has put together a very cool user-generated #BITSWARS campaign, generating nearly 100 (so far) DIY project ideas conceived of...
Tons of truly last-minute holiday gift ideas: tech to the rescue!
With only a few days until Christmas, we want to make it really easy for you to finish up your holiday tech gift shopping with some last minute holiday gift ideas. In other words, no need to drive yourself crazy -- or drive yourself to 15 different stores and battle...
Our favorite Santa apps that make the magic even more magical.
We're big fans of Santa around here, as you might have guessed. What, us risk making the naughty list? Never!) So if you're looking for some fun Santa apps to help bring the big guy to life on your phone, tablet, or laptop and make believers out of any kid at all, we...
75 year later, View-Master enters the world of Virtual Reality. But was it worth the wait?
When I heard that View-Master had updated and gone full Virtual Reality, I was intrigued. Had the toy I'd grown up peering through to see tiny photos of animals in the wild really gone high-tech? All for under $30 -- or even under $25 on sale at Amazon? Yep, that's...
DxO One connected camera: The tiny device that turns your iPhone into a pro DSLR camera.
I've taken hundreds of photos of my kids just in the last couple months. And almost every single one was taken with my phone. Even though I have a nice DSLR camera, it's so heavy, it's just not practical to lug it with me everywhere. Especially considering I'm just an...
Free Christmas music for the kids: Santa Flying In Your Sleigh by Todd McHatton, our kids’ music download of the week
If your kids' Christmas music playlist is already feeling worn out, we've got a great tune for you to check out, with the funky Santa Flying In Your Sleigh, by singer-songwriter Todd McHatton. And it's free! The song contrasts a young child's excitement over Santa's...
Fun Christmas apps for kids: 8 options that they’ll still want to play in January.
Sometimes I need just a little quiet at home over the holidays, you know? And since my kids are app-crazy anyway, they always think it's a treat to find cool new Christmas apps for kids that they haven't tried yet. While we have a few from years past that they still...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
The top Cool Mom Tech posts of 2014
We can't start the new year without first taking a quick look back at the 2014 posts that were most popular of the year. If you're interested in what caught the attention of our readers for the past 12 months, here are the top ten of the year. One thing is clear: You...
Taking the best holiday photos: 6 tips that can help
Last year, Nicole put together this wonderfully helpful post on how to take better holiday pictures of the family, and it's definitely worth another look today. At least if you think you might come across, oh, one or two photo opps of the kids over the coming days and...
10 of the most awesome ideas for creative holiday photo cards
I am always amazed by some of the creative holiday photo cards that come my way in the mail each year. I have some creative friends and family, I guess! I love them all of course, but there are always a few shots that take my breath away, make me laugh out loud, or...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
The new Toca Blocks turns your kids into their own masters of the universe. Mainly because they’re building it from scratch.
My entire household is pretty thrilled that Toca Blocks, the 30th(!) app from favorite app developer, Toca Boca, just launched today. I got an early peek at it, and I'm happy to report, it's just as fabulous as the others. And while Toca Hair Salon and Toca Mini are...
5 great STEM toys for kids with a math focus. Because despite what you may remember, math is now fun.
As we approach the final week of Christmas shopping, I plan spend a few minutes to make sure that I'm buying toys and games that will feed my kids' brains as much as their need for play. And while "math toys" has never appeared on any of my kids' lists to Santa as a...
Flare Kids: A fun, free educational app that does good for kids in need, too.
This is a sponsored message from Flare Kids Parents love good educational children's apps, even more so when they're free. And now there's Flare Kids which isn't just great for the kids who use it, but for the children of the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House....
Best kids’ tablet in terms of security, function, parental controls, and value| Reader Q+A
Hi Cool Mom Picks, I'm looking to purchase the best kids' tablet for a 3-year-old, and maybe one for an 8-year-old. What do you suggest? - Reader, via Facebook. Oh, to be a kid on Christmas morning opening up a brand new tablet to play with! Lucky. The...
Home security devices: 3 simple new systems that will keep you — and all those Christmas presents — safe.
As our houses are filling up with gifts for the holidays, it's a good time to think about home security to keep our homes safe from burglaries and just provide some extra peace of mind. Because waking up Christmas morning to no presents under the tree would be a real...
Circle with Disney screen time management system: Is it worth it for parents?
A lot of our readers have been asking us about Circle with Disney, a new device on that market designed to connect to your WiFi specifically to help parents monitor their kids' internet usage and manage screen time. We were really curious about how it works and...
iPhone tip: How to turn on LED flash alerts for silent notifications
Just when you think you know everything there is about your iPhone, here comes a new tip for turning on the LED flash alert that I think will help a whole lot of people. You know how sometimes you'll miss a call, text or important notification on your phone because...
LA Christmas from Andrew and Polly: Kids’ music download of the week
We know that not all of us can expect a white Christmas, but most Christmas songs are definitely written for those of us who open to the door and realize, baby, it's cold outside. But now you Southern Californians have your own holiday anthem from Andrew & Polly...
Sponsored Message: 3 holiday tech gifts from TomTom for the fitness lovers in your life
This is a sponsored message on behalf of TomTom Whether you find your loved ones on the golf course, in the gym, or outside burning off calories through any sport at all, TomTom has all active people on your list covered with three tech gadgets that will make them...
Guitar Hero Live review: Cool updates put this classic back on top of the charts
Honestly, haven't we all rocked out to an air guitar at some point in our lives? (Or maybe this morning in the shower -- ahem.) Pretending to be Lenny Kravitz or Joan Jett shredding the axe and professing our love for rock 'n' roll out loud got a little less fake and...
Daily Vroom app gives you personalized brain-building exercises for your kids. So like, an extra brain for you.
Kids' brains grow so fast during the preschool years, which is why they need lots of stimulation to help them develop smarter, sharper brains. Also, possibly why kids at this age are so um, challenging. Not just me, right? But often, parents are so busy doing so many...
Sponsored Message: 2 kid-friendly devices from Amazon, just in time for the holidays
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 two kid-friendly devices that...