reader q+a Archives | Cool Mom Tech

The best ways to clean and disinfect your phone during cold and flu season: From gentle cleaning to killing bacteria and microbes

With the concern about the COVID-19 Coronavirus right now, it seems like a good time to bring back the talk about the best ways to clean your phone, or disinfect it entirely. Also, your kids’ phones (ahem). Because while it’s important to know the best way...

Best kids’ tablet in terms of security, function, parental controls, and value| Reader Q+A

by Jeana | iPads + Tablets

Hi Cool Mom Picks, I’m looking to purchase the best kids’ tablet for a 3-year-old, and maybe one for an 8-year-old. What do you suggest? – Reader, via Facebook. Oh, to be a kid on Christmas morning opening up a brand new tablet to play with! Lucky....

7 of the best photo storage options for families with tons of pics on different devices: Reader Q + A

by Nicole Blades | Photography, Tips and Tricks

Hi Cool Mom Tech, Have you written about a tech solution that gathers photos from all the family computers and phones into one place for backup purposes? – James We’ve been exactly where you are, James: looking at all the options and scratching our heads,...

First camera recommendations for kids? Reader Q+A

by Jeana | Cameras, Tips and Tricks

My daughter is turning 6 and I’d like to get her a camera. We gave her an old Canon point-and-shoot for Christmas and she is so responsible with it – she’s ready for a new one of her own. I love the Fujifilm Instax Mini (especially Hello Kitty), but...

Calendar apps for a tech house divided? Reader Q&A

by Nicole Blades | Productivity Apps

We are a house divided. My husband is an Android user (but I love him anyway), and I am an iPhone user. We need a calendar app that works with both, allows for the importing of Google calendar an iCal and automatically refreshes it. Is this a possibility?...

Reader Q+A: Should I secretly spy on my teen using a child tracking app?

by Jeana | Family Safety Apps

I’m looking for a child tracking app to secretly put on my 17-year-old’s iPhone to track his whereabouts. My wife’s “spidey senses” are telling her that he’s going places and doing things without permission. I know I could Google...

Reader Q+A: Can I download the same apps on different iOS devices for my family without paying for them again?

by Jeana | Tips and Tricks

I‘d like to create separate Apple IDs for my kids, but does this mean I can’t download apps I’ve already purchased on my own iPad onto their used iPads? Do separate Apple IDs mean separate iTunes accounts and that I have to repurchase all the same...

Reader Q+A: Good computer recommendations for students going back-to-school?

by Jeana | Computers

We need to purchase a computer for our two older children to use for homework. They frequently have assignments that involve the use of Google Docs, as well as PowerPoint and Excel. I’m a Mac user, but we’re thinking we’ll go with a PC for them (due to cost). Can you...

Can my WiFi baby monitor be hacked by predators? Reader Q+A

by Liz Gumbinner | Baby Tech, Home Security

For the last year or so, erroneous reports of “hacked” baby monitor systems that are WiFi enabled have been perpetuated by the media–and trickled down to our readers, who understandably email us to ask about the potential of danger with WiFi baby...

What’s the best emergency cell phone for kids? Reader Q&A

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

When my 11-year old son got stranded in the terrible snowstorm we had here in Atlanta a few weeks ago, I decided that he might need an emergency cell phone for kids. While he does have an iPod Touch, I think he needs something else. Any suggestions? -Laurie As a...

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.

We love that it's grown to become the go-to source for millions of parents who want commonsense info about tech delivered with a smile.

We even have the privilege of sharing our tips + tricks with The TODAY Show, CNN, HLN, GMA, Nightline, newspapers and magazines around the country, and our favorite -- regular parents who stop us at PTA meetings and ask us how old kids need to be to get a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat.

(Answer: It's complicated.)

We're so glad you're here! And we hope we can help you too.