Occasionally, I need to make a call during bad weather, and that means I run into a conductivity problem with my gloves. You can’t use normal gloves with a smartphone because they don’t allow the electrical signal to transfer from your finger to the phone screen. I’ve solved this problem in the past by using […]
Continue ReadingI have a soft spot in my heart for the app Splish Splash Inn by Shortstack. It was one of the very first apps we downloaded for Vivi to play with, and not only did we love the hip, almost Googie-ish designs of the rooms, but the voiceovers repeatedly cracked us up. In fact, we’re still […]
Continue ReadingIs it possible for an app to make you feel nostalgic? With the new A Charlie Brown Christmas app, it turns out the answer is yes, from the moment you enter and see the 45 spinning on the record player. “Mommy, what’s that thing?” “That’s a record player.” “A what?” “Why don’t you curl up […]
Continue ReadingIf you are like me, you are constantly on the lookout for new iPad apps that your kids will like. My son is obsessed with Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 recently and I finally found an app that combines his love of the movie with his love of the iPad. The Disney Cars 2 AppMATes turns your iPad […]
Continue ReadingThe first time I played with an iPad, all I could think of was Neal Stephenson’s post-cyberpunk masterpiece, The Diamond Age. Subtitled “A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer,” the novel tells the story of a girl more or less raised by an intricately engineered interactive computer in the guise of a book. The Primer, a nanotech […]
Continue ReadingWe all know that the iOS devices are worth their weight in gold as far as parenting goes. As a Geek Mom, it’s one of my favorite sneaky ways to get education in to my son’s life while he thinks he’s getting rewarded by playing with the iPad. But it can get a little overwhelming […]
Continue ReadingIn the same vein as their apps that I have previously reviewed (Helicopter Taxi, Toca Doctor, and Toca Tea Party), Toca Boca, a prolific app publisher, has several more, newer apps. I’ve profiled them below. Toca Boca has a solid history of colorful, fun apps, where occasionally the device is used as a toy itself, […]
Continue ReadingIf there’s one thing the iPad is good at it’s games, and this one from Sega, based on a 2009 arcade game, is a great example. Kids who are trapped on a car ride, or waiting at an airport, or anyplace where there is nothing to do and time is passing far too slowly will find […]
Continue ReadingThis is my son. He’s an aspiring fire fighter and a fan of Thomas, Lego, and Angry Birds. He’s also autistic. He has difficulty getting his words out because of a speech issue called apraxia. Basically, his mouth is a klutz and doesn’t do a great job planning out the sequence of events it takes […]
Continue ReadingI began working in children’s media not long after Steve Jobs returned to Apple. Those were the days of CD-ROMs, when we had to fight those who controlled the purse strings to allow us to make Mac-compatible games even though it was such a small part of the computer market. There was always a sense […]
Continue ReadingArgh, matey! Oh, I know Talk Like a Pirate Day has come and gone, but this fantastic app from Kidoodle Apps will have you and your kids celebrating all year. It was created by two parents who wanted their son to have fun playing with the latest tech gadgets while using his imagination at the same time. They […]
Continue ReadingEvery year around this time, Time to Play Magazine starts thinking about the hot holiday toys and invites bloggers to see their recommendations. I love having this chance to get hands-on with new toys, and toys that have come a long way since Toy Fair back in February. One of the most exciting thing to […]
Continue ReadingI love to look at those lists that they give to professors that explain the state of the matriculating freshman class. You know what I’m talking about? The ones that say things like, “They have never lived in a world where Madonna wasn’t famous.” Naturally, I look at my daughter and wonder what kind of […]
Continue ReadingA while back there was a post on GeekDad about the customer service at one of the many Apple Stores across the country. I’ve only been to the one in Maine, and believe me we’re a different breed up here, but it wasn’t an unpleasant experience. Of course my tale does not end there. I […]
Continue ReadingI’ve seen and reviewed a fair number of storybook apps in the past, and the market is saturated with books for preschoolers–well-packaged, but not terribly interesting books that are pretty much the same as the print book versions. So when I see one that isn’t just like all the others, that is for school-age kids […]
Continue ReadingWe’re getting ready to head to Seattle in a week or so. It’s only a couple of hours on the plane, but I always like to have a few tricks up my sleeve to keep Vivienne entertained. So I’m in the market for some new apps to play with. Whenever I do a little refresh […]
Continue ReadingThinkGeek is well-known for their awesome but often unfeasible or ridiculous April Fool’s Day ad products. They have gotten so much positive feedback on some of them, however, that a few of them are actually in production for real. Case in point, the Tauntaun Sleeping Bag, My First Bacon, and Canned Unicorn Meat. Significantly cheaper […]
Continue ReadingI find myself constantly rescuing my electronics from the teething mouth of my 10 month old son. He has been around Macs, iPhones, iPods, iPads, etc., since he was born. He is constantly climbing over his 2.5 year old brother, his dad, and me to get to whatever piece of electronics is lit up […]
Continue ReadingHere it is, the definitive GeekMom Mother’s Day shopping guide. I surveyed my fellow GeekMoms to see what everyone most wanted for Mother’s Day, outside of the lovely pleasantries of nice meals cooked for us, time spent with our adorable children, and moments of solitude. This is our list, and chances are there’s something on […]
Continue ReadingLast week we ran a giveaway for ten copies of the Chore Pad HD app by Nannek, our newest sponsor. By midnight last Friday, Pacific Daylight Time, we had 20 comments. I gave each comment a number from 1 to 20, and used a random number generator to spit out the winners. Nannek has now […]
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