Julie Marsh

Do you know the way to San Jose? Google Maps does, and so does Waze (We didn't ask Apple Maps) which is why we pit them against each other in a Google Maps vs. Waze smackdown. So which one of these navigation apps is the better bet to ge…

As much as I love fun, educational apps for kids , I might get even more excited about finding great books to add to our family iPad. Especially original stories without any licensed characters trying to sell me on a cartoon to match a d…

This week, you may have heard buzz about the launch of the new Facebook Paper app . (It's been a busy week for them, considering the huge success of the Facebook Lookback videos we shared yesterday.) In a nutshell, Paper combines your Fa…

If you haven't yet heard of the Flappy Bird app, let us be the first to welcome you to this 8-bit circle of hell. In the best possible way. Flappy Bird and the pipe obstacles he has to dodge are driving everyone to distraction: our littl…

It sometimes appears that my kids' devotion to Minecraft borders on fanatical. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was their screentime of choice tonight even over the Super Bowl. Rather than fight the love, I'm choosing to embrace it…

Thanks to Cool Mom Tech, our family iPad is packed with cool apps and fun games . While a few franchises like Angry Birds and Toca Boca do a great job with new releases, lightning doesn't strike more than once for every developer. So I w…

I feel lucky that my daughter is a voracious reader, but her curiosity has a downside: She always wants to know more. So I also feel fortunate to have discovered Duh! books . These fiction e-books, geared toward kids from second to fifth…

While we love all sorts of personalized jewelry, we're especially smitten with keepsake jewelry that has a deeper meaning. So it's no surprise that we were blown away by these waveform necklaces in the shape of your own soundwaves. As in…

We've been fans of Eye-Fi and their smart, simple wireless memory cards for cameras for several years. I still remember the first time I saw the Eye-Fi card in action--the instant photo transfer from camera to desktop knocked my socks of…

I have long coveted a DSLR (and not just because I'd need a gorgeous camera bag to carry it). But thanks to the latest update to our beloved Camera+ app , I've got powerful photo editing features right on my smartphone. We've been fans o…

While I know that the glass used in gadgets is pretty strong as it is, when my son was four, he managed to crack our brand new iPad screen out of sheer frustration with a game, using only his little fists. I only wish I'd had Rhino Shiel…

Whether you've been busy with a million other demands or you just realized that Great Aunt Martha is coming to Christmas dinner and you don't have a gift for her, we've got all the last minute Christmas shipping deadlines from lots of ou…

After my kids commandeered the so-called "family iPad" that was our holiday gift two years ago, I admit I've been pretty stingy about putting kids' apps on my own iPad Mini . Not that that's kept my kids from asking to play with it. But …

All of those laptops, tablets, e-readers, and smartphones that are destined to be holiday gifts--they're going to need protection. And I love caseable as a one stop shop for cool handmade-in-Brooklyn sleeves, pouches, and cases to protec…

I'm a sucker for Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, especially at holiday time. Not only do I love the nostalgia, watching the same shows I watched as a child, but the humor and messages never get old. I think I might love the new e-boo…

I went to Uganda last year, and I nearly lost my iPhone in the Kazinga Channel. I was paying too much attention to a hippo. My stomach still does a flip when I think about it, but I learned an important lesson: Extreme conditions call fo…

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…

Pretty much every time we find an awesome new pick for toddlers, I sigh about how much I wish I'd had something similar when my own kids were toddlers. I'm especially impressed by the way tech has been integrated into learning and develo…

I went to Uganda last year, and I nearly lost my iPhone in the Kazinga Channel. I was paying too much attention to a hippo. My stomach still does a flip when I think about it, but I learned an important lesson: Extreme conditions call fo…

Pinterest can be many things to many people--an online cookbook, a virtual closet, a life list repository, or a hodgepodge of cool crafts we uh, may never get around to. But one of the most popular ways to use Pinterest is as a shopping …

By far, the toys that my kids have gotten the most mileage out of are the ones they use for pretend play. Their active imaginations are ageless, and as you start thinking holiday gifts, consider that it doesn't necessarily take a real te…

They say variety is the spice of life, and I've definitely found that to be true where it comes to educational kids' apps. The more awesome kids' apps I load on the iPad, the more likely it is my own kids will keep exploring and learning…

Yesterday, Apple announced its newest gadgets, and of course we were watching closely--as anyone who follows Cool Mom Tech on Twitter knows. While there weren't many big surprises, the news was definitely cool, even if not all of it is e…

Without exaggerating, there's probably hundreds of things I wish were around when my kids were younger, and Bill Nye's old show is definitely on that list. We've made do with science programs geared toward adults (yay Morgan Freeman!), b…