recycled Archives | Cool Mom Tech

Web coolness: Why you can’t have a lightsaber, the trouble with airline boarding passes, and more!

Here are some of our favorite tech links from around the web. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. 15 ways Alexa can make your life easier over this holiday break. Be sure to rip yours to shreds: Boarding pass barcodes reveal a lot of information about you. And...

Looptworks: The loveliest gadget cases made from leftover materials

by Jeana | Laptop + Tablet Cases

We have covered tons of gorgeous mobile phone and tablet cases on Cool Mom Tech over the years, many of which I covet. But I’m really in love with pretty much every leather gadget case on the Looptworks site, not only because they’re beautiful, but...

The iPad stand that Jack Benny and Ed Sullivan would approve of

by Liz Gumbinner | iPads + Tablets

The folks at Safari Cardboard captured our attention ages ago with their now ubiquitous (yet still appealing) cardboard taxidermy in one of our gift guides, followed by their cool gift boxes, and eventually cardboard holiday wreaths. And now they’re back with a...

The nanny cam for people who are anti-nanny cam

by Liz Gumbinner | Uncategorized

We have a lot of discussion here internally about the ethics and importance of using so-called hidden nanny cams or other security cameras around the house. But one thing we can all agree on: These security cameras are hilarious. If you like conceptual recycled...

Keep your gadget cozy in the belly of a beast. Or a wizard. Or a Wookiee.

by Delilah S. Dawson | Laptop + Tablet Cases

Don’t worry about your e-reader, smartphone, or tablet: The narwhal will keep it safe. Or Harry Potter, Doctor Who, or a very fuzzy but territorial shark. The gadget cozies from Life Geekery on Etsy are made by a husband and wife team in Hawaii to further the...

5 of our favorite techie Pinterest pins this week

by Cool Mom Staff | Link Roundups

If you’re as obsessed with Pinterest as we are, make sure you’re following us. Then check out our 5 favorite pins from this week. 1. A cool app for iOS and Android that’s a dream for parents like us who take tons of smartphone photos. 2. Speaking of...

A newfangled eco-friendly audio speaker from the olden days of yore

by Liz Gumbinner | Audio

The gift for the dad who has everything? Well thanks to technology, there are increasingly more everythings out there in the world each day, which makes the search easier. A little easier? Okay, not that much easier. But if you’ve got an audiophile dad to shop...

How to green your tech: Earth Day is the perfect excuse

by Jeana | Tips and Tricks

Every year when Earth Day comes around, I have this sudden urge to recycle everything in my house and start wearing hemp clothing. OK, maybe not that extreme, but there are many things I could be doing to be a little more energy efficient and environmentally...

How to fix your fraying phone and lightning cables

by Cool Mom Staff | DIY

This week I looked at my definitely plugged-in MacBook, and realized it wasn’t charging. Surely the entirely frayed wire at the base had something to do with that? Mac users in particular are famiilar with the annoying ease at which the cables and connectors...

Where Spotify meets a 12″ vinyl LP

by Cool Mom Staff | Green Tech

When I think of Vinyl albums these days, at least if you’re not a DJ, mostly I think of artists turning them into upcycled wall clocks. So I’m totally blown away by UK designer Paul Cocksedge’s Change The Record loudspeaker made out of a record...

NEW: The podcast that helps you be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week

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.