5 terrific pro photography tips for kids who want to get beyond selfies. (And you can learn from them, too!)
As our kids get older, they're often more excited to be behind the camera than in front of it. Or, maybe it's a close tie. But we don't blame them -- with so many older kids with their own smartphones, it's easier than ever for budding shutterbugs to hone their...
This little light of mine
I've actively spent the week looking for simple photos and items to share that make me happy. After a tough week, I'm sure a lot of us could use more smiles in our day, and one standout to me is the brand new BRIGHT IDEA Lamp from French graphic artist Jean Jullien....
How to listen to podcasts on your smart phone
So your friends keep bugging you to listen to Serial (Season 1, trust us), or you've heard us keep telling you to download our Spawned with Kristen and Liz podcast but you have absolutely no idea how to get podcasts on your smart phone. Well, we're here to help with...
The Octopus wearable teaches little ones more than time, it teaches time management. Awesome!
With three kids ranging from preschooler to tween, time management is always an issue for us. Especially when it comes to trying to cajole my youngest to adhere to the demands of the older siblings' hectic schedules. (Sadly, trying to tell a toddler that we're going...
How to back-up your Facebook photos so they won’t be deleted
If you've been using Facebook's photo sync feature to back-up your photos, then you'll want to be sure to back them up. Why? Because if you don't do it by July 7, they will be deleted for good. Keep in mind that this only applies to Facebook users who specifically use...
Endless Spanish: Our cool free app of the week
Mis Amigos! One of our favorite early-reading apps, Endless Reader, has gone espagñol with the Endless Spanish app, an adorably playful and educational preschool app for both iOS and Android users. Similar to the awesome Endless Reader, Endless Spanish introduces kids...
2 simple iPhone tricks for quickly sharing texts and voice mails
We love discovering awesome iPhone features that help make our lives easier, which we can all use, busy parent or not. This is exactly the case with these two tricks that make sharing your texts and voice mails super simple. How to share texts on the iPhone Instead of...
A DIY tassel charger that you can really DIY. Promise.
We've featured a couple of cool tassel chargers here on Cool Mom Tech because they're stylish and a pretty handy way to ensure you've always get a charging cable at your fingertips. But, if you're feeling crafty, you can actually make your own thanks to this super...
5 simple Facebook tricks to help your posts get seen by more people
There's nothing worse than putting a post up on your Facebook feed only to have only a few of your friends like or comment on it. Okay, there are lots of things worse than that, but you know, it's annoying, especially when you've got a question you want some help...
The Apple invoice scam email to watch out for, and what to do if you get it
This week I got a scam email claiming to be an invoice from my iTunes account on Apple. Luckily, a few things tipped me off that this wasn't legit, so I contacted Apple about it and saved myself the tremendous hassle of having to change all my credit card numbers --...
Tablets vs E-book Readers: What’s the best way for kids to read? Reader Q&A
So, I want my daughter to read more this summer, and with all our upcoming travel, I'm considering a tablet or e-book reader but I'm not sure which is best. -Dawn We're definitely with you that gadgets can be a whole lot easier to travel with, Dawn, and while we love...
SkyView stargazing app: Our cool free app of the week
Summer nights are perfect for staying up late, lying on the lawn (or roof deck if you're a city dweller) and looking up at the stars. But, often, streetlights and other ambient light can make it hard to see everything that is up there clearly. Or, truthfully, I just...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
7 simple tips for taking photos at night, so your Halloween photos come out scary good
Calling all you ghosts, pirates, zombies, superheroes, and that small army of Queen Elsas -- it's time for your closeup. Because one of the best parts of Halloween for us, besides stealing our kids' fun-size Snickers, is getting photos of the kids in costume along...
A fast, easy way to identify and block unwanted scam calls. Because no, you did not actually win a free cruise in a contest you don’t remember entering.
It seems the whole National Do Not Call Registry isn't always effective. Legit marketers have a lot of loopholes; charities, pollsters, political fundraisers and others are exempt; and then there are those shady marketers who simply don't care. I know, you're shocked,...
How to use new Twitter Moments: Could it make Twitter a more quick and easy news source?
Notice a little lightning bolt icon at the top of your Twitter feed? No, it's not a Halloween month tribute to Harry Potter. In an attempt to lure some new folks back to Twitter -- evidently 316mm monthly users isn't enough for some investors -- and to keep those of...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
Can this clock give you more hours in your day?
I was compelled right away by the new Today clock by designer Scott Thrift, which is on its way to a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign. Right away you may notice a few things are missing from traditional clocks -- like minute and second hands. The designer's aim...
Nintendo Vans! Our inner gaming geek is freaking out.
I was just in the Vans store last week buying my daughter a new pair for summer, and of course today they launch their new Vans x Nintendo collection. I'm actually afraid to show them to my video-game loving daughter because you guys, these are pretty damn rad....
11 of the coolest audio gifts for Father’s Day, whatever his style
With Father's Day right around the corner, we've started thinking about some cool Father's Day tech gift options -- in addition to the kids' plaster handprints and construction paper ties, of course. The timing of this holiday is perfect because it coincides with the...
Osmo Coding is screen time you can feel good about.
I'm convinced the reason my kids keep going back to play Osmo, one of our favorite educational tools for kids, is its brilliant mashup of digital elements and tangible controls they can actually touch and move around on the table. If you're not familiar with it, read...
4 easy ways to support our troops this memorial day, thanks to tech
With military wives, past and present, among our staff, some of us have experienced the outstanding and essential benefits of military charities firsthand. So while Memorial Day is specifically about honoring our fallen soldiers, we think that finding ways to...
AfterCam video capture app: Free cool app of the week
If you're into taking video, have I got a reco for you! It's AfterCam, a sort of "after-the-fact" video recorder that helps you capture the past 5, 10, or 20 seconds in time without clogging up your phone with tons of extra video data. And, for Memorial Day weekend...
An easy, fast, beautiful new photo book service
Now that so many of us have a zillion photos stored on our laptops or phones, I love creating any gift that takes the best of those photos and puts them onto something we can hold onto So, for some of my favorite people, I've turned recently to Snapbox to make...
The coolest selfie cases and flashes to make you look even more gorgeous, dahling
I never really latched onto the selfie trend, probably because every time I try, I end up partly cut off, at a weird angle or the lighting is awful. But thanks to these five sefie cases and flashes designed just for improving the almighty selfie, I may have a shot of...
3 iPhone tricks for when you’re too busy to answer that phone call. Isn’t that like all parents?
I'm not sure if it's because texting has made me a little phone-call averse or if it always seems like people call at the moment I've got a kid throwing a tantrum, but I have a hard time answering the phone when the calls are coming in. And yes, while you can just...
4 great speakers for outdoor entertaining this summer, from waterproof to washable. (Really!)
The best part of hosting parties in the spring and summer is that everyone can be outside, so you don't have to do a full clean-up of your house the next day. But if you tend to rely on a big indoor sound system, you may not just be able to turn those speakers outward...
KAMI paper-folding puzzle game: Our cool free app of the week
With all the time I spend outside of the house waiting for my kids to finish a class or practice, I'm always trying to find something new to do on my phone. You know, other than continually refreshing my Facebook feed or checking to see if any new kitties have come to...
If you can’t get your kids to brush their teeth, maybe a little help from The Dark Lord is in order.
Leave it to Firefly to come up with a new, high-tech toothbrush that may get even your most reluctant dental hygiene practitioners begging to brush "just one more time." The new Firefly Darth Vader Lightsaber Light-Up Toothbrush is just what you think it is: A combo...