Back on the Today Show talking tech with Kathie Lee and Hoda! This time we were using tech to keep track of all the moving parts of life, from the house to pets to kids and bills.
GreenGoose
"Who fed the dog?" is a refrain often heard in my house. Between the babysitter, the kids, my husband and myself, we're usually unclear as to whether she's been fed four times, or not at all. Clever wireless sensors from Green Goose take all the guesswork out of the care and feeding of your pet. Place one on the food scoop and one on the dog's leash, and now each feeding and walking registers on Petagonia, the iPhone app. It's fun, and makes it easy to delegate pet care to your kids without wondering whether the dog is starving (cue barks of gratitude!). Petagonia Starter Kit, $49.
Tagg Pet Tracker
My dog never leaves the couch. But some dogs are runners— give them an inch and an opportunity, and they take off down the street. The next time they do, bring them home safely with the Tagg Pet Tracker. Put the tracking device on your dog's collar (works for cats too), and then set the boundary radius around your residence. Now, if the dog gets out, you're alerted immediately. Fire up the web or smartphone app and you can see exactly where he's gone to and even get turn-by-turn directions that lead you straight to him. It's like your runaway pet is texting you his whereabouts, even without opposable thumbs. $99, Amazon.com plus $7.95/mo for tracking service.
Dropcam
Whether you're working in an office, or just on the go a lot, chances are you’re out of your house for a chunk of the day. Wouldn’t it be great if you could check in our your baby while your out (especially if it’s first steps season), monitor who came to the front door, or look in on your pet? You can with Dropcam HD, a wireless camera that lets you keep an eye on what's important to you at home. Set up is simple, and it can be placed anywhere in your house, no computer necessary. Then, you can get a live feed online or on your smartphone (iPhone or Android). Plus you can even communicate through the audio feed, so you could actually help with homework, or give instructions to a babysitter, all while sitting at your office desk. They say moms have eyes in the back of their heads… consider it confirmed. $149, Amazon.com
Life360
It's a moms conundrum— I want to let my kids ride the bus, or walk home from school alone when he's old enough, but I'd also like the peace of mind that comes from knowing he's arrived safe and sound. Life 360 is a mom's dream, and is helpful for anyone wanting to locate a family member. Install Life360 on any family members phone (iPhone or Android), and now you'll get an alert when they arrive at their pre-determined destination. Other helpful features include locating the nearest hospitals and fire stations in case of emergency, as well as an always-open group chat for all members of your family, where you can send messages to one another in the event of a natural disaster (or just to say "hey").
Manilla
Managing bank statements, utility bills, magazine subscriptions, frequent flyer accounts ... it can all be pretty overwhelming. Either you’re flitting from one website to another and having to remember countless logins, or you’ve got a ton of paper statements flooding your mailbox every month. Manilla puts an end to all of that— it’s a dashboard that gives you a bird’s eye view of all you’re statements, bills and accounts in one place. With over 1,300 companies in their database, chances are they know who your cell phone, cable, and credit card company are. Just link them all up and Manilla will remind you when bills are due, and you can even click through right from the dashboard to pay them. No more late fees, and no more paper clutter.
CakeHealth
If you need to submit a claim from the stress of just looking at your health insurance statements, you’re not alone. They’re incredibly confusing, and seem to give you exactly none of the information you need. CakeHealth wants to make it all easier. Just add your health insurance provider information, and you get a beautifully uncomplicated readout of which claims are being processed, which ones have been paid, and how each family member is doing against their deductible. And it’s all in plain english and uncluttered. Piece of cake.
27 Comments
randi says:
Carly -- Congratulations for doing such a GREAT job on national TV. You did GREAT, look cool, calm and collected!
CKnobloch says:
Randi-- Thank you... it's a bit crazy, but so much fun.
Alexandra says:
Nice job Carley! You always bring such good advice on new technology and make it look so easy! Manilla is a big hit with me!
CKnobloch says:
Alexandra--Thank you!
Francesca says:
Carley! Another fantastic job on Today! You gave some great tips and looked amazing to boot!
CKnobloch says:
Francesca-- Awww... love you for saying so!
Margarita Ibbott @DownshiftingPOS says:
Carley: you did a wonderful. Who know a tech-chick could rock high heels like you did. You're no computer geek! Well done and congrats to you!
Margarita (@downshiftingPOS)
CKnobloch says:
Margarita— Geek in Heels! (thank you!)
erin says:
Carley! Once again, you are my hero. Congratulations. So many great tips, presented so incredibly well. Way to go!
CKnobloch says:
Erin-- Awww.. thanks!
Laurie March, @EvangelistaLA says:
What a great segment! Can't believe how many tips you fit into that time slot - and loved the Fifty Shades of Grey reference
Seriously - need to get the pet tracker for Newt asap.
What an awesome set of time savin goodies...
CKnobloch says:
Laurie— thank you girlpants.
Meghan Wilker says:
Carley: Great job, as always!
CKnobloch says:
Meghan— Thank you so much. We're way overdue for a catch up. Let's!!
Barbie says:
Fantastic job Carly!
CKnobloch says:
Thanks Barbie!
Lovlea1 says:
Great segment.
Pam R says:
Carly -
You were fabulous on the Today show! We've been using Manila for a wile now based on your advise and love it. Can't wait to get Cakehealth set up - one of my least favorite things to deal with!
Love you on the show, love the blog, love telling all my friends about you!
best,
Pam
CKnobloch says:
Pam-- WOW! thank you so much! All my best to you.
Heather | Mom 4 Life says:
Once again, another great segment, I am so happy for you!!
The Nerdy Nurse says:
That is REALLY awesome!
Elisa says:
Really great segment!
Lynn Dehetre says:
Congrats on your National Debut! That is awesome! I knew your site & information would become very popular. I appreciate all of the great tips & information.
Elle (@Cleverlychangin) says:
Carley, fabulous video, I am really looking forward to trying cake health. Are you going to Blogher this year, I would love to meet you in person.
CKnobloch says:
Elle-- I will be at BlogHer this year! I'm moderating a panel called "Streamline Your Technical Toolkit: How to Do More with Less"-- I'd love to see you there!
nasrine says:
I have been such a HUGE fan for years (and I am all the way in Dubai) you have helped me help myself and keep my family organized between learning about Cozi, what plants I can grow here (not easy) menu planning and simply keeping thriving as an expat mom! SO grateful for your work. You are a GIFT to many! Thank you for all you share with us, it sure allows me to shine!
CKnobloch says:
Nasrine— OMG you made my day... thank you so much!