crowdfunding

We've all seen the late-night news exposés with hosts shining black lights in hotel rooms, and let's just say we wish we could forget them. But now we have no reason to worry when we scrunch up next to our partners (and children, let's b…

Sorry for the earworm, but the second I saw these IRL Glasses on Kickstarter , I couldn't stop singing Bohemian Rhapsody, because they seem pulled right out of a sci-fi movie or Black Mirror. If you think I'm exaggerating, you need to se…

We featured Qwerkywriter waaaay back when they first launched, and wow, they've come a long way! They're launching an upcoming campaign on Indiegogo for their new Qwerkywriter S Color that we are just dying to get our hands on. Related: …

With all the throwback gaming consoles making their way back to the market (cough Nintendo cough), we probably shouldn't be surprised that Atari is making a comeback. But that doesn't mean we're a wee bit excited about it. Okay, try very…

Little history lesson for you: did you know that the emojis designs we use today -- and communicate almost exclusively with our tweens in -- originated way back in 1999? Like, before we even knew what a smartphone was? Japanese designer …

The mixtape will just not go away, and that's just fine by me. In this case, the beloved cassette of the days of yore now comes in form of a new MP3 player called the Mixxtape , courtesy of wildly popular Kickstarter campaign that blew a…

When I think of a smart handbag, my mind goes to looks. But in the case of the FYB London Smart Handbag , billed as "the world's smartest handbag," it's a combo of chic designer styling and useful technology that land it on my covet list…

We are pretty freaking thrilled that women in STEM are getting much-deserved attention finally, from fantastic story books to card games , and yes, amazing Oscar-nominated movies . Now add these amazing art prints for a cause to the ever…

As much as I love tech that makes my life simpler, easier, and cheaper, sometimes I find a device that just makes life a little more magical. And that's how I feel about Moonlite , a little gadget gives a modern edge to storytelling. Thi…

When we see a tech trend that could keep our families safer, it definitely gets our attention, which is why we're so intrigued by smart doorbells, with two in particular that you'll want to have on your radar. Related: 3 simple home secu…

When I imagined the future, I definitely saw little robots following us all around, perhaps sweeping up our crumbs and reminding us where we left our coffee. So, while the COWAROBOT doesn't do those things, it does follow you around with…

Over the years, we've gotten lots of questions about when kids should get their first cell phone , which we've always answered with questions ourselves, because really, it depends on a lot of factors. How old is your child? Are they resp…

As much as we already do with our smartphones, the small screen and tiny keyboard can be limiting, at least when it comes to getting actual work done. That's probably why the Superbook has completely blown its Kickstarter goal. Related: …

Over the past couple years, it has been incredible to witness all the awesome new ways we have to introduce our kids to STEM. And now we've come across another really cool product called Mover Kit , the first wearable for kids that they …

I love family movie nights, especially on those rare occasions when it takes less than 15 minutes for the kids to agree on what we're going to watch. So when I heard about a new wireless projector called CINEMOOD that lets you bring fami…

Coding is certainly one of the new buzzwords in education, along with STEM, STEAM, and now, believe it or not, STREAM. And while a lot of learn-to-code apps toys, and games, like Robot School, Dash Robot, and Code Master , are targeted p…

I'm amazed at the quantity and quality of STEM toys and projects for kids that keep coming out. Anything that parents view as educational and kids view as entertainment gets a thumbs up in my book, which is why I'm excited about a new ST…

If there's one thing that's in my never enough category, it's sleep (okay, and Bradley Cooper), and I'm guessing that's the case for most parents. Well, the sleep part; not the Bradley part. But a new device on Indiegogo called REMI may …

When Liz sent me a link to Furniqi , I sort of freaked out a little because a table that charges your phone is one of the smartest tech innovations I've seen in a long time (and trust me, I see a lot). And yes, while the name is a little…

While things we find on Kickstarter aren't usually available in the immediate future, if you've already got holiday shopping on the brain (eek!) it's worth taking a look at Cannybots , a Kickstarter campaign for a very cool new tech toy …

Trying to manage my three kids' time spent and content viewed on all of the various devices we have in this house is one of the most thankless, naggy job out there. They don't fully understand why I say "no" to the newest app, or why You…

Ever since becoming parents, it's the thing that so many of us crave, covet and perhaps miss the most about our pre-kid lives: sleep, glorious sleep. And on Cool Mom Tech, we're all about sharing helpful tips and tech for getting better …

Question: How many Beyoncés does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer: As many as you're in the mood for, because these rad LED light bulbs are also Bluetooth wireless speakers. So basically whatever strikes your fancy when you're tu…

At first glance, the gorgeous handmade Avakai dolls look like heirloom dolls my kids would love to play with all on their own But hidden inside these matryoshka-inspired Waldorf dolls is some very cool tech that will spark creative play …

Over the years, we've found great illustrators who have taken their own baby photos and turned them into fantastic collage drawings. But now we found a sister team out of Barcelona who's attempting to do one better with their new Kicksta…

Browsing the crowdfunding scene, we're always amazed by the space-age ideas being brought to life out there and making us go, whoa . Now, it's the the Light Phone , an ultra compact phone that totally looks like it's from a sci-fi movie.…

Watching our kids maneuver their way through all this new tech is a joy. It's just so cool to see how much they're doing and learning on these glowing gadgets. But the other side of that is trying to stay on top of what they're watching,…

If you've ever looked, then you know how hard it is to find examples of female role models in STEM, which is why these parents decided to create this new card game Women in Science for their daughter, and now, for all our kids. Yeah! Not…

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 …

The selfie stick struggle is real, friends. From major museums, like the MoMA and The Met in NYC to the Palace of Versailles in Paris, to sports stadiums, to musical festivals Coachella and Lollapalooza, the ban on selfie sticks shows no…

With one of the main complaints about the new Macbook 2015 stemming around the single USB port, it makes perfect sense that technologists and developers are on that issue, stat. Because hello, functionality? Not all of us have all the ti…

As you can see just from browsing our site, Minecraft and STEM toys rank high on our list of the coolest stuff for kids that's both fun and educational. So when we heard about Piper , which brings together coding, engineering, and Minecr…

It's clear that sleep tracking is all the rage in 2015. And I get it. Listen. If it were possible to marry one's bed, I would have been in deep mattressmony (ha) long ago. So when I heard about the Luna Matress Cover , the first one that…

I'm not even kidding when I say that the Beaba Bib'expresso bottle warmer, which totally looks and acts like a coffee maker, saved my butt with my fourth baby back in 2010. I was traveling a lot and doing the breastfeeding, pumping, form…

Confession: I'm not exactly sure where our thermometer is. On the rare occasions that my kids run a fever, I use the same method my mother did: forearm to the forehead. But the new Wishbone thermometer has to be the smartest way to take …

I'm not alone in wanting my kids to learn the basics of coding and am thankful there are so many ways to get them interested in the subject. We've covered cool clubs and camps, lots of fun games , as well as apps and websites like Scratc…

I'm not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed by my selfie technique, which involves doing a 360 degree turn to find the best light. But with Vany , (yes, as in "vain") which is a new ring light for smartphones, I just might be able t…

If you're like me, then you've done the lick-your-hand or breathe-into-your-hand or whatever other weird, gross things to figure out if you have bad breath. But now instead of popping some gum in your mouth, or you know, brushing your te…

Don't laugh, but I rely on frequent deep breaths to get me through the day, especially when my kids are being especially ornery. And thanks to a really cool gadget to measure air quality called TZOA , I can see if those calming breaths I…

I am intrigued by all the new technologies and devices coming out that are designed to monitor and track a baby's sleep patterns and movements. Products like the AngelCare Sleep Monitor and wearable devices like Sproutling are just the b…

While it may still be pleasant and warm -- I'm currently wearing flip flops here in Denver myself -- winter will soon be on its way. Too many NYC residents live in buildings with inadequate heat, but Heat Seek NYC aims to help change tha…

We've covered many cool tracking systems and devices that can help you find your stuff, or make sure you don't leave it behind in the first place. But the new Findster GPS tracking system is actually designed to keep track of something m…

My kids love remote-control vehicles, toys they can build themselves, and playing on my smartphone, so I know they'd go bananas for SmartWood , a new set of smartphone controlled toys which combine all three of their favorite things into…

As every parent would probably agree, sleep is essential but often elusive. So when we heard that the Sense sleep monitoring system had totally blown its Kickstarter goal out of the water, we weren't surprised. But we were super curious …

I may be a fairly serious cyclist, but there are still times when I wish I had a bike bell. (Like when I'm dodging toddlers on ride-on toys on the bike trail. True story.) The new MYBELL bike accessory is one bell I'd be willing to put o…

Last year we discovered the Nanoleaf LED light bulb which, besides looking super cool, actually is. It's a safer alternative to CF bulbs, projecting light 360-degrees like a traditional incandescent while saving money and energy. The one…

When I saw the brilliance that is Kid Lid , I couldn't help but wish I'd had one of these brilliant laptop keyboard covers when my kids were little. And that I had thought of an idea like this myself. Darn. Like dad Matt Mogol, founder o…

As much as I embrace technology and consider my iPhone another appendage, I still feel nostalgic for the simpler times when tech didn't rule over everything, especially for my kids. Which is why I find the Kickstarter campaign for a new …

Back in September, I discovered a cool board game on Kickstarter with a lofty goal: To teach kids as young as four the basics of programming. And now that I have a final copy of Robot Turtles , I can say that you parents of preschoolers …

We've come a long way from the typewriter iPad combo we first discovered a few years bag that, though incredible, rang in at a whopping $799. That's a lot to pay for "wow, cool." And now we've got the evolution with a Kickstarter campaig…

We are so excited about the range of science and technology toys that are being created for our kids these days. I love that my kids are using their minds while they play, learning the whole time without realizing it, and the newest play…

If you're like me, your movie-going days all but disappeared when you had kids. As a nursing mom, I found it nearly impossible to get away for a few hours without feeling like I was going to explode (TMI?) so we started watching our TV a…

Considering I was making the kids' lunches the other day and found my phone in the pantry, I really think I need a dedicated gadget like Phone Finder to help me keep track of my all-important-everything-device. I'm not the only one, righ…

Kickstarter at MoMA brings together two of our favorite things -- awesome Kickstarter-fueled innovations and the MoMA Design Store. They've gathered a collection of successful Kickstarter products in honor of NYCxDESIGN, and it's a cool …

I'm a triathlete and a data geek, so as you might imagine, I keep my eye on cool new innovations in fitness technology. Which is why I was intrigued when I discovered the Lumafit fitness tracker , now on Kickstarter. The Lumafit uses som…

I'm always amazed by how smart design can improve function and turn mundane items, like boring old power strips into cool power strips, which is where the new TwistVolt comes in. Remember the Snake, one of those twisty puzzles that came …

When it comes to safety with our kids, we don't mess around. And that's especially true when it comes to bike riding. We've found some fantastic bike helmets over the years, but one area that's been seriously lacking in both safety and c…

We're always drawn to interesting tech toys here, and right now we're a bit fascinated by the new Moff band . Designed by a Japanese firm (thus, the various spellings of guitar ), the band promises to turn any object, real or imaginary, …

Confession: I spend way too much time trying to figure out where my keys, purse, and um, even my dog have gone at times, so am curious about all the tracking devices out there now. It's one of the most frustrating feelings to not know wh…

How many times have I gotten into my car and started driving, only to realize that I've forgotten my phone? (Answer: Too many.) So I love that a nifty gadget called Bringrr (rhymes with ringer ) is upping the ante in the world of trackin…

Can you teach kids about the foundations of programming through a storybook about one little girl, a friendly Snow Leopard, a wise penguin, and a green robot? After learning about Linda Liukas' Kickstarter campaign to bring her entertain…

Really young kids aren't ready for their own cell phones yet, but we love the idea of being able to communicate remotely with our elementary age kids while they're with a babysitter or just send them a funny message while they're playing…

Growing up in the midwest, our neighbors had two solar panels on their roof. I always thought that was so cool. Now panels are popping up in my neighborhood, and it's still just as cool to me. I would love to see even more solar energy s…

My second grader is crazy into made up games he creates and customizes himself. Everything from blueprints for Star Warsian buildings to trains crafted from Toca Builders blocks are on his roster of perpetual projects, and creating his o…

How could we not fall instantly in love with the Cordito , a beautiful crafted leather cord-tamer that looks and works a whole lot like a burrito? Well, we did. So we're excited to see two new cord wrangling products from the same clever…

If you're a graphic designer, a photographer or a picky decorator, I'm excited about this new app that's designed to help you in an amazing new way. And not surprisingly, it's getting a ton of buzz. I think of it like Shazam , only for c…

Whether your kids say the darnedest things or your inspiration always strikes while you're driving the car, this cool new device makes it easy to record and file the moments of your life, seconds after they happen. Would you wear this hi…

I have a confession: I have a habit "shopping" for weather reports--I tend to click around the various networks and web channels until I find the one I like. No rain, high of 72? I'll take that one ! But now there's a device that can kee…

As my husband and our electric bill will tell you, I love light. I'm constantly searching for more ways to bring sunshine/lamps/candles into our home (the last leading to numerous fire alarm activations--oops). The minute I saw this cool…

With a crew of budding artists in my home, I've often thought about investing in a 3D printer so I could turn their drawings into sculptures. But now with these new amazing gadget, doodles can become a piece of art all at the same time. …

While I was cleaning out my mom's house this summer, I found a boatload of old 35mm film negatives and other than send them to a service that develops old photos , I had absolutely no idea what to do with them. Well, with this campaign o…

Recently, I wrote about Animoto's Best of 2012 Facebook video feature allowing you to create a montage of major highlights in 2012. A cool way to look back on big moments, but what if there were a way to compile all the small moments tha…

When I think of safe cell phones for kids, I think of two things. The first is safety from strangers or other people; the second is safety from cell phone radiation . And now there's a cell phone in the works that's going to solve both i…

I still fondly remember my Polaroid camera. Like so many photo buffs, I was devastated when Polaroid went the way of the Betamax. Well, with this new gadget, you will get almost the same effect with your very 21st century iPhone. And the…

We're upgrading to the new iPad and thinking about passing along our second-generation iPad to our kids. Do you have any suggestions for kid-friendly cases? -Krissy Hi Krissy, lucky you for getting a new iPad ! Your kids are probably alr…

The photos I see on Instagram are many things: evocative, funny, sweet, and sometimes just plain cool. But they are also really small. Which is why I'm digging a successful Kickstarter campaign that will make it so easy to get to enjoy t…

I cannot tell you how many iPhone docking stations we have gone through since my husband first bought me that first generation iPhone. With all that money wasted, I could have easily bought this new one that's not only super stylish but …

My daughter loves to play house and has lately taken to using my car keys - for carpooling, of course. While she is usually good about putting them back, there have been times when she has left them somewhere on her "route," resulting in…

As a runner, I've used my fair share of GPS watches, all of which tend to have the same issue: Too darn big for my wrist. And while I personally don't mind strapping my smart phone to my arm in my beloved Arm Pocket , that's not an optio…

The place where I charge my iPhone is on the desk in our kitchen, where mail, bills, kids' artwork and trinkets always seem to get placed. And every day or so when I need to juice my phone, I always find myself maneuvering the cable arou…

I've seen my fair share of iPhone docks, and most of them are a little too bulky for my taste and my limited desk space. So as I was doing my weekly scan of Kickstarter (love them), I was so excited to find this new gadget that is exactl…