audiobooks Archives | Cool Mom Tech

5 apps I started using that changed my life this year

Yes, we’re all still getting a lot of mileage out of “there’s an app for that” because…well, it’s true. Especially on iOS, though Android is doing a little better keeping up these days. Over the past year, there are a few apps that...

Your Google Home can now read your kids bedtime stories. Not that you would ever have it do that.

by Kristen Chase | Helpful Services

Our Google Home can do all sorts of helpful things, and now it can read to us. That’s because Google launched audiobooks, which you can use on iOS, Android, the web, and yes, your Google Home. Related: This app lets you borrow library books on your tablet. For...

Watch Levar Burton read Goodnight Moon to Neil Degrasse Tyson and swoon a little.

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment

We love Levar Burton. Did you ever listen to our podcast interview with him? He’s the best! We love Neil Degrasse Tyson. He’s not yet a podcast guest, but we’re still hoping, because he’s also the best! One thing we’re torn on...

iPhone trick: Turn any book into an audio book with a simple swipe

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

Here’s a cool trick that you can use on your iPhone to turn any book into an audio book, with a simple swipe using the handy Speak Screen feature. To enable Speak Screen, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech > Speak Screen and make sure...

The New Spotify changes: 3 awesome reasons to become a Spotify Premium member right now

by Kristen Chase | Entertainment

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...

Sparkup: An e-reader just for kids. (As in, hands off Mommy’s Kindle.)

by Christina Refford | E-Readers

Though reading to the kids has always been one of my favorite things to do, it’s not always possible for those of us who travel for work, have a newborn, or just get too busy to drop everything to read a book for the fourth time in an hour. On those days, instead of...

Immersion Reading for Kindle? – Reader Q&A

by Christina Refford | Educational Apps For Kids

As a mom of a child with a learning disability in reading, technology has been a huge help. But most of the reading apps out there are geared toward young children who are learning to read, not 9 year olds. I just stumbled across the Whispersync and Immersion Reading...

How to get free e-books and audio books from Amazon and Audible.com

by Cool Mom Staff | Educational Apps For Kids

With our long drives to and from school every morning, I’ve been meaning to grab some audiobooks for us to enjoy. Well lucky for me, just yesterday I scored over 20 popular classics as e-books and audio books on both my Kindle and my iPhone for free. Free! And...

An audio book app that isn’t just for little kids any more

by Christina Refford | Educational Apps For Kids

Listening to compelling audio books has been my #1 way to prevent backseat squabbles between the kids as we do everything from a six-hour drive to Maine, to a 15-minute jaunt to gymnastics practice. And one of the best ways to get our hands on a seemingly limitless...

Holiday audiobooks for kids: A good excuse to spend 30 hours relaxing around the fire

by Molly | Fun Apps for Kids

I tend to get a little romantic around the holidays. Not in the candlelight dinner with my husband kind of way, but more in the drink hot chocolate, nibble on cookies, music playing softly in the background while my pajama-clad children (who never fight over who gets...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Tech in 2010 to help make our increasingly digital lives easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun, however old your kids may be.

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