Playmobil toys now with electricity. Creative playtime just got way more interesting.
When it comes to build-it-yourself toys for our kids, Playmobil is a classic. There's just something thrilling about opening up a toy kit with 117 pieces, right? But now that there are new Playmobil toys with electricity just launched this year, the sets have turned...
Danny Weinkauf’s Champion of the Spelling Bee: Kids’ music download of the week
Later this week, my kids and I will gather around the television to watch the nail-biting action of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals. But before we start to marvel at the super kids who don't get frazzled spelling words from autochthonous to zenaida , we've...
The Parrot Minikit Neo 2 HD: One smart way to prevent texting and driving.
Like we always say, the safest way to use your phone while driving is to not use your phone while driving. Duh, right? And it's something that's really top of mind for us this holiday weekend, when cops are out on the roads full force, and the anti-texting and driving...
Can baby tech make parenting easier or does it go too far?
I was so happy to sit down with Arielle Duhaime-Ross and Ben Popper of The Verge recently (oh, how we love The Verge) to talk what's new in baby tech for their excellent Verge video series, Top Shelf. You get to see a bunch of cool new innovations we've covered here...
4 of the best free apps to help keep you safe on the road during summer road trips
With an estimated 37 million Americans hitting the road on the Memorial Day holiday alone, it's going to be the biggest travel weekend in a decade. Clearly, after enduring a long, miserable winter, folks are super hyped for the (unofficial) start summer. Instagram,...
The gorgeous new Epiphanie Bags collection: Goodbye synthetics, hello leather.
I've been a huge fan of Epiphanie Bags ever since we featured them here on Cool Mom Tech years ago and it's been so exciting to see this mom-run business grow. So how cool to discover their new spring and summer collection that takes the bags in a huge new direction:...
Simple Machines app by Tinybop: Kids learning physics without even knowing it.
We can hardly believe it that it's only been a month since we featured the launch of The Robot Factory app from awesome app developer Tinybop, but they're back again. This time with another fantastic educational app for kids, Simple Machines, and right in time to...
The New Spotify changes: 3 awesome reasons to become a Spotify Premium member right now
We're huge Spotify fans in my home and on the go (in case you were still wondering whether moms actually know how to use Spotify), and now with the big New Spotify announcement yesterday, I've suddenly got a few more reasons to love this popular streaming music app...
KiDCASE is a clever, new iPad smart case that puts more screentime control in parents’ hands
Watching our kids maneuver their way through all this new tech is a joy. It's just so cool to see how much they're doing and learning on these glowing gadgets. But the other side of that is trying to stay on top of what they're watching, monitoring and managing their...
A card game that teaches kids about women in science. So basically, our kind of card game.
If you've ever looked, then you know how hard it is to find examples of female role models in STEM, which is why these parents decided to create this new card game Women in Science for their daughter, and now, for all our kids. Yeah! Not surprisingly, the creators of...
The new Roku 3: Why you want it.
As an avowed Roku devotee -- a word that's hardly strong enough considering I've convinced most of my relatives to invest in one -- I was excited to check out the new Roku 3 that just came out this spring. Let's just say, they had me at "voice commands." And since...
Sling TV: Is this affordable cable alternative worth considering? A thorough look.
I finally sat down and took a good hard look at my cable bill and...whoa. When I consider that there are probably only 4-5 cable channels I really watch, aside from premiums HBO and Showtime; I do pretty much all my watching on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
How to make an iPod Touch safe for kids
[This post has been updated as of January 2014 to include new information] I'm pretty sure almost every one of my oldest daughter's friends got an iPod Touch for Christmas this year. We're talking third-graders. And while even we here at Cool Mom Tech have recommended...
How to clean your computer screen? Easier than you think.
I have tried any number of screen cleaners, sprays, pre-moistened wipes and home remedies for cleaning my laptop screen and at last I found one that actually uh...cleans. Go figure. When the sigOth showed up with a package of Windex Electronic Wipes for our TV this...
New Year’s Resolution: How to go paperless in 2013
It's amazing how much I've cut down on my own paper consumption thanks to the help of awesome websites like Hello Fax that I discovered way back when they first launched. But I'm always trying to find new ways to make my life and office paper-free. So I was pretty...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
A laptop that’s closed on weekends. We can dream, right?
If you spend your work life on your computer or know someone who does, this clever Closed Weekends laptop case is the perfect gift especially since Father's Day is only about a month away. (Yeah, we can't believe it either). Or hey, maybe putting it on your own...
Need an excuse to get a Sonos system? Thank your dad for this discount.
If you haven't heard us gush over the Sonos audio system yet, you must be new here. (Welcome!) We're huge fans of their smart wireless audio system that only gets better with every app upgrade, so we're really excited to pass along a super sweet deal that's perfect...
Makey Makey GO: One of our favorite STEM tech toys just got portable
My kids got a huge kick out the original Makey Makey invention kit that we featured here on Cool Mom Tech a couple of years ago. And now they've launched a Kickstarter campaign for their new Makey Makey GO, which has killed its goal in a matter of days. But you can...
Ladybug by Earthworm Ensemble: Kids’ music download of the week
We are big fans of ladybugs here, especially when we find them outdoors eating the bugs in our garden and not all over our walls on a sunny day. So for this week's music download of the week, we're loving a new song from the eco-minded, collaborative effort Earthworm...
Photo wall decals: A Father’s Day photo gift that saves the need to dig up the hammer and nails
For the dad who has everything, you can't go wrong with Father's Day photo gifts, especially when they come from the kids. Lately I've gotten completely hooked on photo wall decals as the best new way to display my photos, because they don't hang wonky when my kids...
Powerskin portable chargers now just for one penny. Hurry!
Penny for your thoughts? Better. How about a penny for portable chargers for your smartphone? It's true: Powerskin, one of the leaders in portable chargers, launched a super promotion this weekend offering its popular PoP’n portable battery pack for Android and iPhone...
2 super easy new photo book apps for iPhone that will have the dad or grad in your life smiling
We're very pro-photo book around here. Actually, we support any service or app that helps us get all the digital pics we snap off of our devices and on display for all to enjoy. And with Father's Day and graduation season officially underway, here are two, new photo...
The Lily Camera is the first throw-and-shoot drone. Whoa.
We've seen a lot of cameras around here, and we've tested them out under some pretty extreme conditions. (Ask Kristen and me about our kayaking adventure at the GoPro Mountain Games sometime.) But we were all blown away when we learned about the Lily Camera, which is...
Rebrickable helps breathe new life into your kids’ old LEGO sets.
I'm usually hesitant about buying a big, expensive LEGO kit because, after my kids put it together once, then what? Sometimes kids keep playing with it, sometimes it ends up dissembled with random bricks I discover all over the house months later. Which is why I'm all...
5 of the best sports headphones for women (and other folks with small ears)
What might seem like a small problem, is actually a big pain in the butt. Or maybe pain in the bud? I'm taking about wearing in-ear headphones or earbuds that are too big for your on-the-smaller-side ear holes. It's not only uncomfortable, but also super annoying when...
Society6 leggings: Be still my stylish geeky heart.
If you've ever been to Society6, then you know it's a veritable wormhole of super cool art work from artists from all around the world that they whip into really cool gifts, from fun t-shirts to awesome smart phone cases, many of which we've featured here. But now...
2 very cool wireless chargers that look right at home, whatever your home
We all love our smart devices until they start flashing "low battery" signs at us. Which is why we're always on the lookout for fast and easy ways to charge our tech devices. And if the juice boost method happens to be cool too? Icing. Like with these two, new...