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...
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...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
The 11 best tech New Year’s resolutions worth keeping
Yes, we all make New Year's Resolutions to eat better and work out more and blah blah blah. Cue the leftover cheesecake entering my mouth at 10AM on January 1. But if you're online at all (hi there) I've put together a few tech resolutions you should definitely...
5 of our favorite techie Pinterest pins this week
Obsessed with Pinterest as we are? Follow us and find fun pins like this every day. 1. A roundup of the very best apps for preschoolers. 2. The holiday movie our followers will be streaming this weekend according to them! 3. Really smart trick for storing kids'...
An app that does more than let you make to-do lists: It won’t let you forget them.
In the rush of the holidays, this past month I have 1) gone to the store with a specific item in mind and have left the store without said item; and 2) gone to the store and have completely forgotten why I went in the first place. Yes, I'm going to blame it on the...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
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...
Free music download and video premiere just for Mother’s Day: Thank You by Vered:
From Vered's beautiful new album Hello My Baby, her song Thank You is just what we need to hear on this Mother's Day. Because, even if our kids are too young to speak the words, we know just what they mean when they reach out their hands to hold ours. Even better,...
#SelfieWithMom for Mother’s Day: A selfie we can all get behind. And in.
If there's one thing that I love about selfies, it's that I'm in more photos with my kids now than I ever was before. And as I get older and my kids get older, it's those photos I treasure the most, even more than their sweet homemade gifts and barely palatable...
Rounds app: A terrific Facetime alternative for Android users who want to talk to iPhone users.
I have a close-knit family. My sisters and I talk a lot any given week. The thing is, we all live in cities spread miles (and countries) apart, so we rely on social media, texting and, when time zones line up nicely, video chats. And with Mother's Day, Father's Day,...
5 smart ways to live greener without making major changes to your life. (As in, no turning your bathtub into a hydroponic garden.)
We are always looking for ways that we can live a greener lifestyle with our families, but trust us, we know how overwhelming it can be. As we've discovered over the years, it's the small things that can really add up -- in effort and attention -- and make a huge...
Sending your mom a real card for Mother’s Day: What a novel idea!
With all the digital ways you can say "Happy Mother's Day" to the special mom in your life this Sunday, sending an actual paper card is an extra special treat. And that's why this card made me laugh. Yes, I love texting and Facetiming as much as the next person, but...
Turn screen time into learning time with fantastic online camps for kids at DIY.org
We're in those final weeks of school before summer break, which means my kids and I need to figure out how they're going to occupy themselves and keep their brains and hands active. Turns out I'm getting some great ideas from the online camps at DIY.org. While we were...
Boomerang: Maybe the best Gmail management tool ever.
When my friend Anna, who is my go-to source for everything related to time management mentioned Boomerang for Gmail, I figured it was worth a shot. And wow...consider my life changed. If you're a Gmail user who finds yourself sometimes drowning in email and trying to...
Home decluttering tips: 6 smart ideas using tech that keep you from doing it all again later.
Spring cleaning fever has hit hard at my house and this week I've purged closets, vacuumed under furniture, and checked the expiration date on every canned good and spice in my pantry. Goodbye, can of beans that expired in 2012. Now I'm tackling all the clutter that's...
Piñata Attack! by Lucky Diaz: Kids’ music download for Cinco de Mayo
If you'll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo with your kids this Tuesday, grab a copy of the most-fun, high-energy new song from kindie favorites and Latin Grammy winners Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band. Piñata Attack! will have your kids dancing, jumping, and whacking...
A printable Star Wars coloring book made free: Kindness that gives the world a new hope.
Bless the big-hearted Star Wars fans of this world, for on May the Fourth Be With You Day, they are always an extra-giving bunch. Like Jason Yang, the designer and illustrator behind Invisible Element, who just offered up this wonderful free printable Star Wars...