Bear Upstairs: Kids’ music download of the week
Little kids with big imaginations (i.e., all of them) will get a kick out of a new tune by Mr. Jon & Friends who sings about a Bear Upstairs. I suppose that is why their room looks the way it does. Starting off quietly and with an air of suspense, Mr. Jon and his...
8 cool Mother’s Day gifts for photographers. We’d take all of them.
As we start looking around for cool Mother's Day gifts, we realize not every mom is into keepsake pendants and baby footprint artwork. So for the photographer mom in your life who is always trying to capture those special moments with her trusty dSLR or smartphone...
Is there really a Magic 8 Ball app? Signs point to yes.
We absolutely love it when our childhood favorites make a modern comeback, like princess phones, Little Golden Records, and of course, Simon. So naturally we're shaking with excitement (ha) over the new Magic 8 Ball official app that just launched today from Mattel....
An interactive storybook app for iPad with all the animals, none of the crowds
My kids ask me if they can download new apps to my iPad every day, and I almost always say no. I hate to give up my precious memory space for the junky, ad-filled apps that appeal to them, but that I'd really rather they not play in the first place. So when I find a...
The coolest geeky jewelry for Mother’s Day: 6 ideas for any tech-loving mom
This might be shocking to hear, but some moms just don't love sentimental jewelry. Insert audible gasp here! I'm actually one of them -- or at least the more traditional stuff isn't quite my speed -- and that's why it makes me so happy when I can find cool geeky...
Earth Day 2015 picks: 5 cool tech gadgets to get you excited about solar power
It's Earth Day 2015, and this is always the time we stop and think of ways that we can save energy -- and money -- in our everyday lives. One of the trends we're really starting to see blow up, at last, is the use of solar power. There are so many smart products out...
The new Lomo’Instant: The fun of lomography meets the immediate gratification of instant film.
If you want to combine what's satisfying about manual dSLR shooting, with what's fun about an instant film experience, then add in the unlimited creativity of lomography, you've got the new LOMO'INSTANT which is like my new favorite thing. This analog camera is just...
The cool site that makes your kids realize they have it pretty good. Or, maybe they don’t.
Lately I've gotten sucked into a new website called If It Were My Home, which compares countries around the world to your own hometown, or any other location you designate in their search engine. You'll get a quick snapshot of all kinds of comparable stats like...
Hooray! The Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer is here!
I've had my eye on the Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer ever since I saw it in action at CES 2015 a few months ago, and well, the day is finally here. Yep, this very cool little printer is available for purchase! This hand-sized printer hooks to your smart phone via...
Designing and printing your own custom 3D jewelry. Without buying a 3D printer.
Just in time for Mother's Day, I was absolutely thrilled to discover Zazzy, a new platform that allows you to design 3D jewelry, only they take out all the time-consuming stuff...like downloading sometimes complicated software, figuring out how to use it, and then,...
A custom laptop sleeve that’s the perfect gift for the modern mom
If you've got a mom-on-the-go to shop for this Mother's Day, we're so excited that in curating our favorite personalized Mother's Day gifts, we found these cool custom photo laptop sleeves at Snupped. You can choose standard MacBook Air or MacBook Pro sizes, or...
To the Woods by Molly Ledford and Billy Kelly: Great Kids’ music for Earth Day
Earth Day falls on Wednesday this week, though we're trying to teach our kids to think about the Earth -- and our role in keeping it healthy -- every day. And this new song by Molly Ledford and Billy Kelly from their most-excellent album Trees is a wonderful call to...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
Photo filters come to Twitter! And how to make your new Twitter header.
Coming off the heels of last week's disappointing Instagram's break-up with Twitter, good news comes to those of us who take and tweet photos because photo filters have come to Twitter. Hooray! Twitter has made this available as an update to Twitter for Android and...
The unfortunate news about Instagram and Twitter. A.K.A. Facebook strikes again.
This morning the announcement by Instagram was made that when you share your Instagram photos via Twitter, they will no longer be properly displayed. Gah. For people like me, who love sharing my Instagram photos on Twitter--and seeing those shared with me--I find it a...
The new iTunes 11: What you can expect from the upgrade, good and bad
Yesterday, pretty much everywhere I went, I overheard people discussing the new iTunes 11 upgrade that had just launched--on the subway, in a movie theater, on line for lunch at the deli. And I must say, the reports are very mixed.Now that the new iTunes 11 is...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
Here’s how to follow Cool Mom Tech! Because we are where you are.
Whichever social media site you prefer, we're probably there, passing on great content from our site, the web and beyond. (Wait, is there anything beyond the web? Well, if there is, we'll let you know.) Follow us for links to cool articles, breaking news, tips for...
Instagram apps that allows you to add text over photos? Reader Q & A.
Hey Cool Mom Tech! Do y'all know of an Instagram app for iPad that allows you to add text or make a collage? -Delilah, via Twitter Hey Delilah! The short answer to your question is: Indeed we do. And we totally get it, too. Sometimes you just want to fiddle...
Piquing our geek: Could Volvo LifePaint save bikers’ lives?
For years, Volvo is of course known for their automobile safety technology, but their latest endeavor is meant to help keep people safe from cars and it's pretty cool. Volvo LifePaint is a water-based reflective safety spray that can be applied on pretty much any...
SelfControl app: For those of us who need a major work distraction intervention
As someone who works on the computer all day, I've got my various methods for keeping distractions at bay, aka "How not to check Facebook every four minutes to see who liked the photo of my daughter's artwork." But if you're like me, then you know that sometimes just...
V.ALRT: The affordable personal emergency alert device that makes getting help easy. Even if you hope it never gets used.
When I first heard about the V.ALRT personal emergency alert device I immediately went to I've fallen and can't get up. I figured it was just some newfangled version of those Life Alert medical bracelets and it turns out, it kind of is -- and if you have elderly...
Does this tote make my laptop look fab?
We have all been raving about the gorgeous Knomo laptop bags for a while now. And judging from the London-based company's new high quality, thoughtfully-crafted collection of laptop totes, we're going to keep doing just that. Each one of these bags practically has Buy...
Schoolhouse Rock’s Where the Money Goes: The perfect video to share with your kids on tax day
When I have to explain a concept to my kids, there are so many awesome educational videos out there on all kinds of subjects, but I admit, I often still turn to the Schoolhouse Rock videos I grew up with as a kid. Today we're watching Where the Money Goes, in which...
5 things to knock off your tech to-do list, and how to find the time. Thanks to Gretchen Rubin.
Do you have some basic tech chore to do -- say, deleting old digital photos -- but you just never seem to find the time to get to it? It's like permanently etched in your to-do list, and every time you scroll through your loaded smartphone camera roll, the old photos...
LIFX bulb review: Why this whole smart bulb trend is especially awesome for parents
I was definitely fascinated by the smart home trend at CES back in January, and particularly the smart light bulbs. Though they do seem more like a fun special effect rather than a necessity for your home. But after playing around the the energy-efficient LED LIFX...
Take Your Kid to Work Day by Recess Monkey: Kids’ music download of the week
It's been more than 20 years since parents started Take Our Daughters to Work Day on the fourth Thursday of April. Later, we added our sons, then expanded the name. So on April 23rd, if your kids will be commuting with you to the office, job site, hospital, day care,...
Location Services on smartphones: Why does every app seem to want access to it, and when should you turn it off?
I'm always a bit leery of apps the moment they ask to have access to my location. Sure, it makes sense with Google Maps, weather apps and certain social apps that help me locate a specific store or get a restaurant review. Those kinds of apps are more useful and just...
Disposable cameras are back! Only…not.
I have to admit that disposable cameras make me pretty nostalgic for the old days of pressing the shutter, then having no idea how those snaps turned out until I picked up the envelope of prints. (Ed: Or better, finding an undeveloped disposable camera in a drawer...