iOS apps

I feel for parents of teens these days, who not only have to contend with the usual teen angst, but also have a whole new set of digital obstacles to face with their kids texting and app-downloading and web surfing. Not to mention apps l…

There are a few app developers who we know will turn out something great, before we really even test it out. Not a lot, but a few. That's the way we feel about developer Nosy Crow , but of course, we had to take a look at this new app re…

Yesterday's big Apple announcements included the introduction of the overwhelmingly awesome new iO7 operating system. In our minds, this could be a game changer for those of you on the fence about investing in an Apple phone, with helpfu…

Between my daughter making spontaneous bedside appearances at 1AM, getting up to use the bathroom and other random nightly occurrences, I'm lucky if I ever get a full night's sleep. It's no fun getting jolted by an alarm clock as it is, …

I have a sizeable collection of photos and videos on my iPhone, mostly of my kids. While I access my camera roll pretty frequently to find old pictures, show people my kids, watch past videos with my kids, etc., I love apps that take exi…

Discounts, perks, rewards--they all sounded reeeeally good when we signed up for all those membership programs. Until we end up with a lot of cards taking up wallet space and we never bother cashing in on all those benefits. Enter Larky …

Oh Appy Day! is our ongoing feature giving you the scoop on the coolest apps from some of the coolest people anywhere. Last week, our Editor Kristen Chase had the chance to talk to actor and dad Ethan Hawke and find out his favorite app,…

If your penchant for good design ideas and locations goes beyond flipping through an IKEA catalog (or maybe even Pinterest), you will appreciate the eye candy in this excellent new Android app made in collaboration with Wallpaper* magazi…

Despite the easy filtering and editing of Instagram, I still find some of my favorite photos come from photo apps in which I can choose the film and lenses right in camera before the shutter snaps instead of editing photos afterwards. We…

Maybe it's my father-in-law's background in atmospheric science and meteorology or maybe it's just an excuse to use my iPhone, but lately, my son has taken an interest in checking the weather each morning of cities around the world and g…

While I consider myself to be tech-savvy, thank you notes are just one of those things that I always hand-write and make my kids do the same. And on the receiving end, there is something special nowadays when I receive a hand-written any…

Here is a typical weeknight in my house. After dinner is made and I have digested, the dishes are all done and I hear snoring out of the monitor... I think, YAY I can go sit down and wait for Jon Stewart. But then I remember, I have to p…

Ah, there's nothing more reminiscent of my kids' nightly bedtime routine than bath, teeth brushing, pajamas and of course, scanning their pjs with my QR code reader to read an app-based story. Wait, what? Yes, it's true, someone has actu…

The Walkman seems like a lifetime ago, especially now that any kind of music is available at our fingertips through all kinds of music services, plenty of them free. And hey, we don't even need to switch cassettes or push clunky fast for…

I like bright colors, moving objects and intense battles as much as the next guy, but my favorite incarnation of the virtual world is when it's used for education. Particularly if bright colors and moving objects are part of the learning…

There are so many fun photo apps that we have covered on Cool Mom Tech-- Afterglow , BeFunky and myMosaic , to name a few. But I've recently started playing around with another iOS photo app called Split Pic 2.0 that not only offers fun …

I admit I've been reluctant to jump on the gift card app bandwagon. I tend to just cram my gift cards into my wallet or stack them on my night table--but then I evidently realize oh hey...I'm at Target spending $90 and shoot, I have a $1…

My kids' love of electronics is not going away just because the grass is green again, which is why I really like a new educational iPad app that gets kids excited about the great outdoors---and even asks them to put down the iPad and go …

I have shared custody of my phone... with my daughter. Basically it's mine pretty much everywhere but the car. When I am driving on long trips, I know don't need the tempation of checking mail I know is waiting for me, so I am a-okay to …

I took the cutest video of my daughter at her piano lesson last week playing Beethoven Sonatas, jazz riffs and Billy Joel covers. It was amazing! OK, fine, it was a run-through of "Do Not Sneeze" accompanied by her piano teacher, but I s…

Listening to the Hits One station on Sirius Radio in the car may keep me somewhat up with the latest pop hits (even though my kids always know the lyrics before I do), but I still find myself saying "who?" to every new up-and-comer that …

I have taken so many pictures of my kids on my iPhone that I tend to group them into "series." There's the Florida series, the winter snowstorm series, the soccer game series, and so on. So I'm excited to have found a new app called Pice…

Can you recommend any preschool foreign language apps for Android for my kids? -Kathy Hi Kathy, thanks for your question! You didn't mention if there's a specific language you're interested in, but here are a few picks that offer great a…

What kid hasn't dreamed of rocketing off into outer space to see what is out there? The problem is, that cardboard box in the living room isn't going anywhere so fast. Junior Astronaut - Breaking through the space barrier is a standout e…