7 cool finds for families from the 2015 World Maker Faire.

by Liz Gumbinner | Gear + Hardware, Tech Toys

It’s hard to believe this was my first ever year attending the Maker Faire in NYC, but yep. It’s true. And now consider me an annual attendee. Thanks to our sponsor Sprout by HP who hooked me up with tickets (thank you thank you thank you, HP!) I got to...

Anki OVERDRIVE: It’s back, it’s better than ever, and it’s going to be the holiday tech toy of the year

by Liz Gumbinner | Tech Toys

Last year we fell in love with the Anki Drive app-controlled racers, calling it one of our top tech toys of 2014. Earlier this year at Toy Fair, we got a look (and a very fun if brief test drive) of the brand new Anki OVERDRIVE and as of today, it’s here! And...

The Sphero BB-8 wins this #ForceFriday thing.

by Liz Gumbinner | Tech Toys

We’re as geeked out about Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens as anyone else, but let’s all step back for a minute and take a moment of reflection for today’s #ForceFriday national day that’s really a giant unboxing and marketing event designed...

9 awesomely cool coding projects for kids using the Dot and Dash robots from Wonder Workshop

by Liz Gumbinner | Tech Toys

Recently, I wrote about how totally in love I am with the Dot and Dash Robots from Wonder Workshop. So it makes me extra happy that they have joined us as as our newest Cool Mom Tech sponsor because, well, we all adore them! (Also, so does every kid who comes over and...

Capture the action of summer with the new VTech Kidizoom Action Cam for kids

by Christina Refford | Tech Toys

Ever since my husband showed the kids the GoPro videos he took while mountain biking, they’ve wanted to take the same kind of cool action videos, even if all they’re doing is riding a scooter down the driveway. And since we’re not so keen on handing...

Avakai dolls: beautiful handmade wooden toys with a magical tech twist

by Kate Etue | Tech Toys

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 without attracting your kids to...

Sponsored Message: The making of the Gameband + Minecraft. And a special Target deal, too.

by Cool Mom Team | Games + Gaming

This a sponsored message on behalf of Gameband + Minecraft If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on the uber popular Gameband + Minecraft for a Minecraft lover in your life, now’s the time. Because when you purchase it at Target, you’ll also...

Playmobil toys now with electricity. Creative playtime just got way more interesting.

by Kate Etue | Tech Toys

When it comes to build-it-yourself toys for our kids, Playmobil is a classic. There’s just something thrilling about opening up a toy kit with 117 pieces, right? But now that there are new Playmobil toys with electricity just launched this year, the sets have...

Makey Makey GO: One of our favorite STEM tech toys just got portable

by Kristen Chase | Tech Toys

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 a matter of days. But you...

The Lily Camera is the first throw-and-shoot drone. Whoa.

by Julie | Tech Toys

We’ve seen a lot of cameras around here, and we’ve tested them out under some pretty extreme conditions. (Ask Kristen and me about our kayaking adventure at the GoPro Mountain Games sometime.) But we were all blown away when we learned about the Lily...