A parents guide to Apple’s affordable new iPhone SE 2022: Why it could be perfect for kids
We've officially hit the point of full Apple product saturation in our household -- and as so many parents in our Out Tech Your Kids community tell us, they have too. So what do you do when you're all basically on Apple devices, your kid needs a new phone, and you...
The best portable car jump starter battery kit for road trip safety: We found one under $100!
My parents were in the market for a portable car jump starter, (also known as a portable car battery charger), because as city folk, they keep an older model car in the city but don't drive it much. That means they need to have some kind of reliable car jump starter...
Tech tip: How to open your Shazam in Apple Music instead of Spotify.
Recently, as you may have heard (ahem) a bunch of influential musical artists have been leaving Spotify, podcasters are rethinking the platform, and plenty of listeners are canceling their Spotify Premium subscriptions. (Which is evidently not all that easy to do, but...
The best family organization apps for sharing calendars, keeping up with chores, planning meals and more
Family organization apps are such a lifesaver, at least once you accept that life admin is part and parcel of modern family life. Still, we all wish there could be a bit more life and a bit less admin sometimes. So I was thrilled to take some time to research some of...
Skip the office visits, parents: Speech therapy is now available online.
We know that online mental health therapy access has exploded over the past two years, and increasingly so have other kinds of therapy. As a parent with a child in therapy (and a toddler who naps during the day), I know that just getting to the office every week can...
Helpful apps for your Super Bowl party…or any given Sunday.
If you're getting ready for the Super Bow (whoa) this Sunday, and plan on having company to make it more fun, we've got 7 apps for your Super Bowl party that you'll want to download stat, from party planning help to food and drink delivery, to real-time social sports...
This new bedtime podcast for kids is a parents’ life saver
I'm grateful for any tech that makes bedtime easier, so I was excited to discover Netflix Jr.'s brand new Bedtime Stories podcast -- and I figured a whole lot of parents might be too. The podcast features some of my kids' favorite characters from Netflix Kids -- like...
10 cool Valentine’s gifts for geeks: From STEM to Star Wars
Who else is shopping for Valentine's gifts for geeks this year? My own spouse takes his, ahem, calling as a gamer very seriously, so no red roses for him. Instead I try to get creative and find gifts that incorporates his love of all things gaming, sci-fi, tech, and...
I fell in love with this perfect self-heating mug. Here’s what it does — and doesn’t do.
Seeing as how the work-from-home life is here to stay for the foreseeable future -- for better or for worse -- I've been digging into our past posts for ways to improve my own home office space. (Turns out, our writers are extremely helpful!) One of the items I've...
This app lets you check out library books on your phone. Free. From home. Yes!
Lately, a lot of readers have been asking us about apps that let you check out free library books. Or, free e-books to be technical. So here's the info on a favorite of ours, the hoopla digital app. While I love the feeling of being surrounded by stacks and stacks of...
How I came to choose the best light therapy lamp to help me beat the shorter days.
So let's talk about my absolute obsession with HappyLights, more technically known as light therapy lamps. I've always kind of dreaded the shorter daylight hours of the winter, knowing that Seasonal Affective Disorder tends to hit me hard. I get tired, cranky (sorry,...
Recycle, donate, sell, return: What to do with your old tech gadgets.
I'm excited to kick off the year by finding some easy, effective ways to recycle or donate those old tech gadgets that we all have lying around. Not just for you, but for me too! I know not to chuck my trusty old iPhone into the trash after upgrading to a newer model...
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Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
10 photo tips for fireworks: How to keep from coming home with 127 blurry blips in the sky
Fireworks are at the top of nearly everybody's list of favorite Fourth of July memories, but capturing the magic in fireworks photos can be extremely tricky. So we scoured our favorite photography and tech resources for great photo tips for fireworks, so that the...
Not into audiobooks? Here’s the one thing that finally changed my mind.
It took me longer than most people to get into audiobooks. Even while friends raved about flying through so many books on their commutes or while sitting in carpool lines, I had tried a few novels on Audible -- good ones! -- and just couldn't get through them. I...
What’s the best Fitbit for you? Here are some questions to help you figure it out.
Lately, a lot of readers have been asking us to recommend the best Fitbit for their needs -- for themselves as a form of self-care, for gifts for others (ahem Mother's Day and Father's Day are coming up), or just an upgrade to an older model they already have. They've...
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Telemedicine gets even more accurate with the the TytoCare Medical Exam Kit. Whoa.
Even in pre-Covid days, I always hated sitting in a doctor's waiting room just thinking about the "bonus" rotovirus we were probably contracting on top of the ear infection we were there to treat. That's a big reason I am so excited about the TytoCare Medical Exam...
How to make strong passwords and protect them: A simple guide
With the new year here, it's a good time for a refresher on how to make strong passwords and help keep them safe. With phishing on the rise, ever-present social media hacks, and general security breaches and unsavory shenanigans, it's just a good idea, and one of our...
Tackle these 10 simple tech to-dos to start the year safer, cleaner, and more organized
For so many of us, the new year is about fresh starts. That's why around here, so many of us use January as time to cross off what we can from all of those never-ending tech to-do lists. These are the kinds of tech to-dos we often put off, not necessarily because they...
The top 10 most popular posts on Cool Mom Tech in 2021
Every year, we think it's fascinating to look back and see the top posts we wrote that captured our readers' interests and imagination. Some of the favorites were just fun (hey, trendy halloween costume!) while most this year were really helpful. And hey, we're...
The Snowy Day: the Opera. How to stream it free with the kids over break
For those of you who also grew up with Ezra Jack Keats's magical The Snowy Day, you can imagine my thrill at discovering The Snowy Day has become a wonderful opera now available to stream on the the Houston Grand Opera website Even better, we can all watch it right...
5 of the best Santa tracker apps to prove he’s real. Because he is. So there.
This year is definitely the year of the Santa tracker app. After, all, even the biggest Santa fans among us know that while he is vaccinated (so don't worry kids) we want to keep him safe -- and him, us. So we're avoiding the mall and turning to some terrific tech in...
For last-minute online holiday invitations, Paperless Post Flyers are the best!
If you're a fan of Paperless Post like we are, don't miss out on Paperless Flyers as a genius way to send out all your last-minute holiday invitations, school fundraisers, or to invite out-of-town family to the kids' end-of-year-recitals over Zoom. After all,...
How to add a holiday aesthetic to your iPhone: 3 easy ways
Lately I've been looking for the best way to add a holiday aesthetic to my iPhone, uh.... like all the teenagers in my life do. Of course you can always customize your own iPhone icons yourself, I don't have quite as much time to spend on crafting the perfect holiday...
The best new video games for families to let everyone in on the fun. You too, parents! | Holiday Gift Guide
Who else is in the market for cool new video games for your families? Video games tend to get a bad rap, but I've found that picking the right game can actually foster connection and fun. So if you have an avid gamer in your family and are looking for a way to enter...
12 of the hottest high-tech beauty gifts for for everyone on your list…including yourself.
High-tech beauty gifts are all anyone seems to talking about in my Facebook groups these days. At least when it comes to holiday gift ideas. And who can blame us? We've come a long way from the days when I bobbie-pinned my hair before bed to have curls the next day (I...
All the ways kids are using tech to make their holiday gift wishlists: 11 ideas
I'm absolutely fascinated by the way my own kids and step kids use tech to make ongoing gift wish lists -- the iOS Notes app has become the method of choice for them and so far, that's working pretty well for us. Then I saw Jessica Bradley Rushing's hilariously 2021...
12 practical tech gifts to help get us through another long winter | Holiday Tech Gifts
Not everyone loves a big, splurgey, outrageous tech gift -- some of us are happy with practical tech gifts. Especially these days, when those gifts just may help us get through another (deep sigh) long winter. Colder weather has officially settled in for many of us,...