(As seen in USA Today) Columnist Jennifer Jolly reviews the best of the best Mother’s Day gadget gifts of 2016

Mother’s Day is coming up fast and that special gift that makes her feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Well it isn’t just going to make, or buy, itself. Here are 10 of this year’s most-wanted mom gadgets sure to show her how much you appreciate her, all year long.

Make Mom’s Life Easier

No idea what she really wants? Hmm… As a busy mom myself — most days what I really need —  is a clone. Sure, that’s still just sci-fantasy for now, but Amazon’s Echo($180) can feel pretty darn close at times. Echo is a hands-free speaker and personal assistant designed around your voice. Just say the word “Alexa,” the device wake-up word, and then ask a question, play music, have Alexa read the news, set timers and alarms, recite your calendar, and even to control lights around your home. And you can do all this from across the room, without lifting a finger.

Preserve Those Family Memories

Tweed Wolf: Gorgeous custom photo books with someone else taking care of the customizing. (Photo: Tweed Wolf)

If your mom is anything like me, she takes a lot of photos — then leaves them on her phone or piled up in boxes collecting dust. Buy a Tweed Wolf gift card for mom, and let its “do-everything-for-you” ($295) photo album service come to the rescue. Just sign up, upload all your photos and Tweed Wolf designers do the rest. They go through every image, select the best ones, edit everything so it prints perfectly and then send you a link to an online proof. You can ask for any edits, and once you approve, Tweed Wolf prints, binds, and ships your high-quality, hardcover album.

Replace Her Clunky Laptop

Now, time to bring moms digital life up to date. I admit it’s a splurge, but Mom will definitely appreciate the stylish new HP Spectre laptop ($1170). Despite its thin profile — it’s only as thick as a AAA battery — and striking black and copper design, the Spectre isn’t just eye-candy. This laptop is powerful enough to run any apps with top-tier Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and has nine and a half hours of battery life to keep going all day.

Upgrade Her Smartphone

We modern moms are always on the go, and need a speedy smartphone with all-day battery life to keep up with our busy lives. Enter the recently announced HTC 10($700), the newest Android smartphone hitting the market (available for pre-order now, ships in May). It has a vibrant 5″ display, great 12MP camera for catching all those family photos, and a super impressive two days of battery life.

Help Her Capture It All

A smartphone is fantastic for digital photos, but there’s still a certain nostalgic joy to having printed pictures. You can print out your photos at home, of course, but the Polaroid Snap camera ($100) makes getting prints fast and simple by instantly printing 2×3, full-color images to share or scrapbook. (Be sure to order the Zinc paper along with it, it does not come it!)

Let Her Know the Whole Family’s Thinking about Her

Flatterbox ($50 and up) is a new twist on the classic card — instead of sending a flurry of cards from across the country, Flatterbox lets you invite family members to submit thoughts, wishes, and anything else through its website. When the whole family’s chimed in, the company prints the sentiments on brightly colored cards and packages them in a gift box. It’s a great way to tell Mom everyone cares.

Stay Fit and Stylish

The new Fitbit Alta ($130) combines the basic features of a fitness tracker and a smartwatch, tracking activity as well as showing simple smartphone notifications. The sleek Alta won’t scream “gadget” when on Mom’s wrist: there isn’t a single button and interchangeable wristbands come in rubber, leather and stainless steel for a variety of looks.

Give the Latest High Tech Bling

Even though the Alta is a fairly sleek way to stay on top of smartphone notifications, it’s still a noticeable wrist-worn gadget and may not suit her style — but that doesn’t mean staying out of touch. Ringly ($260) is one of my favorite wearables because it doesn’t look like a wearable at all. This chunky ring vibrates and subtly lights up to let you know about smartphone notifications, and it’s likely no one else will even notice. The latest design features an emerald in an 18k gold-plated setting, but there are plenty of styles and colors to suit her taste.

Relax without Leaving the House

InstaShiatsu+ Neck and Back Massager with Heat: gets in there and works the knots out! (Photo: TruMedic)

Being a mom is a high-stress, full-time job and taking the afternoon off to hit the spa isn’t always — or even usually — an option. Thank goodness truMedic’s InstaShiatsu heated massager ($140) can give a great massage from anywhere. This cordless “kneading” massager actually gets in and works the knots out of my tired muscles. Ahhh-mazing!

Combine All Her Must-Have Gadgets

I love iHome’s high-tech take on a good ole vanity mirror ($150), which we moms know is a must. This 9″ distortion-free mirror has 7x magnification plus a built-in Bluetooth speaker and speakerphone. Now Mom can easily listen to music, take calls and even charge her phone all while getting ready to go in the morning.

Okay, hopefully this gives you a great place to start and lots of ideas to make her day magical. What’s your favorite Mother’s Day gift – that you’ve either given or received? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below. Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted in Digital Parenting, Girlfriend's Guide, Great Gadgets, In The Press, TechNow, TechStyled, Top tech news

There are certain things you just have to do every year: Get your teeth cleaned. Change the oil in your car. Put fresh batteries in your smoke detectors. Run a security check-up on your Facebook account.

Wait, what?

That’s right, as your online life evolves, your cyber security risks grow too. But there are tools right at your fingertips that can help maintain some semblance of privacy — if you know where to find them.

Privacy Checkup

There are now 1.49 billion monthly active users on Facebook, with the average person in America spending nearly 30 hours a month hanging out on this particular site. If you haven’t gone through Facebook’s Privacy Checkup lately (or ever), this is a must-do now.

Click on the little lock symbol at the upper right hand corner of your Facebook feed. Privacy Checkup should be at the top of the drop down menu, with a little blue dinosaur right next to it. When you click on that, it walks you through the top three tools to manage who sees what via your posts, apps, and profile.

Posts: Manage What You Share

Starting with your posts, take control of everything you share when you post. You can set this to public, only friends, specific groups, or tailor it for each post if you want to get that specific.

This is important when you want to share certain photos, videos, or updates with some people, but not others. For example, I let the whole world see what I’m up to for work, but keep photos of my family more private, posting those just to closer friends. Those beer-bong championships in college? Keep that between you and your buddies, rather than something a potential boss stumbles across in a quick Google search.

Apps: Don’t Let Them Run Rampant

When you’re finished there, the Privacy Checkup tool leads you to into the apps section where you can see every app you’ve linked to your Facebook account, and manage what information you share with each app. This is huge.

More than 80% of the top 100 grossing Android and iOS apps now let you login with your Facebook account. This includes the biggies like Spotify, Pinterest, Airbnb, Etsy, Nike+ Running, and more.

Using your Facebook account to log in or sign up for new apps can save a ton of time and it’s often the most secure way to go since Facebook’s sky-high usage and engagement means much tighter and better security safeguards compared to the little guys.  But the caveat for that convenience and added caution used to mean sharing a collection of your personal information with those other apps, and even allowing them to post to your feed on your behalf. That’s no longer the case.

You can now edit who sees each app you use, what information you share with that app, if any at all, whether you want an app like Candy Crush to let the world know you’re playing it right now, and delete the apps you no longer use. When I did this recently, my apps were a hot mess. Some don’t even exist anymore. It’s good to let that old app baggage go.

Profile: Don’t Be An Easy Target

Next comes your profile. This is where to take even more caution of what you’re sharing with the general public. If someone Google’s your name, anywhere in the world, do you really want your phone number popping up? I don’t. Take a second to review some of the info on your profile and who you’re sharing it with. You can get really specific here, sharing your profile information with specific people such as your boss or parents, but not some ex-boyfriend who creeps you out.

One of the easiest ways for someone to hack your online life is by finding out your obvious data, such as your address, email, birthdate, and all that stuff we typically don’t share with strangers worldwide. This should not be information you’re just offering up to anyone.

Security Checkup

The Privacy Checkup tool has been out for a full year now, and just a few weeks ago, Facebook followed up with another new tool they’re calling the Security Checkup. It also calls-out the most important security features on your Facebook account and let’s you manage them quickly and easily in one place.

Logging Out: You Don’t Need to Be in Five Places at Once

This checkup starts with figuring out where — and on exactly what devices —  you’re currently logged into your Facebook account. For example, I know I’m logged in to Facebook on my laptop, iPhone, and iPad. But when I ran the Security Checkup, I also saw that I was still logged in from my parents computer, another tablet and an older phone that I’ve since given to other people in my family. You don’t want to stay logged-in to a device that’s not in your control, so this is an easy fix. Just checking the box next to each location you want to leave and click “Log Out of All.” No matter where in the world those computers are, everyone but you will lose access to your account in a moment flat.

Login Alerts: Be the First in the Know

Now that you’ve cleaned up where you’re logged in, the next step with Security Checkup is to opt in to Login Alerts. This is where you turn on the automated notifications from Facebook that tell you when someone’s trying to get into your account from a new device or location. If it’s you, you just ignore it, but if it’s not you, and someone’s trying to hack your account, you can shut it down instantly. Follow the prompts for “manage your alerts,” to choose how you’d like Facebook to get in touch. This can be email (the default method), or by text message if you’d added a contact number to your account. Once you turn alerts on, you’ll be able to save a list of trusted browsers and recognized devices. That way, Facebook won’t pester you if you use them again in the future.

Password: Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe

Last stop on your security tour involves your password — which should be the first word you think of when you hear someone use “internet” and “security” in the same sentence. Your password’s “strength,” or how difficult it is for a human or computer to guess it, is more important than how often you change it.

To beef up your password, make sure you’re using something unique, not the same password for every app, email, bank account, and place that you visit online. Don’t use “password,” “123456,” or something easy to guess such as your pet’s name or street you live on — especially if that information is easy to find on your public profile or posts. If you’re having remembering twenty different passwords, make sure to try out services such as 1Password, RoboForm or DashLane. Also, it’s not hot to share your password with friends or significant others. Like your social security number or the memory of what you did that one night in Vegas, there are some things that you and only you should know.
With those two checkups, you are a whole lot more locked down that you were before, and you probably learned a little something along the way. It’s great to do this annually, and since October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, this is a good as a time as any to pencil it in. Remember, it’s fun to share things about yourself online with friends and family, and with just a little bit of effort, privacy and security with social media doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. Don’t be scared. Be smart.

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Posted in Connected Kids, Digital Parenting, Girlfriend's Guide, In The Press, TechNow, Tips & Tricks, Top tech news, What The Tech

Some of the best gadgets for back-to-school and beyond these days come with some surprising hidden talents. Here are a few of my top picks for new round of superhero tech tools that can totally the save the day (or at least a little time, money, or sanity).

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro comes with built-in pico projector.

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro ($449) is a solid slate for all things coed connected. Powered by Intel’s Atom processor, it’s a sleek, versatile mid-price digital hub for web browsing, streaming video, online research, digital textbooks, and all the music your son or daughter could ever need. Powered by Intel’s Atom processor, the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is astonishingly light, won’t break the seams on a backpack, and the battery lasts a whopping 15 hours before needing a recharge. What’s really cool though, is that it’s the first tablet to come with a built-in pico projector. With one touch of a button, it transforms into a projector, casting a giant 4.5 foot image, picture, presentation, or video on any wall or ceiling. Pretty darn cool.

iHome Kineta K2 Bluetooth Alarm Clock has a removable battery charger.

Being late for class is a total motivation killer, not to mention it probably won’t make an instructor very happy either. The iHome iKN105 Bluetooth stereo alarm clock ($99) is the perfect bedside companion for a college or high school student who has been up all night …erm…studying. It syncs with smartphones via Bluetooth, so it can blast some tunes with no cords required, and it has a whole bunch of built-in alarm tones so there’s no chance of accidental, grade-killing snooze button slamming. But that’s not what makes this a superhero tech tool. This alarm clock has a convenient removable gadget charger. Pop it out in the morning, tuck it in a backpack, purse, or pocket, and it can give mobile devices a quick boost of energy in a pinch. Now your kids have no more excuses not to call you back right away.

The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick lets you backup and share files wirelessly.

Flash drives are already super convenient, but SanDisk found a way to make them even more of a painless accessory by eliminating the need to actually plug them in for file storage. The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick (starts at $29) has its’ own Wi-Fi built in so students can access it wirelessly from across the room, like when it’s inside a backpack or desk drawer. It lets you double, triple or quadruple the storage of your smartphone, tablet or laptop — even if it doesn’t have a USB port — and lets up to 8 people stream/share at once. This little gadget might not actually save your life, but it sure feels like it can when your laptop crashes and you just happened to have everything backed-up on this little lipstick-sized drive.

Amazon Fire TV Stick works with web authentication.

Another tiny gadget loaded with magic is the Amazon Fire TV Stick ($39). It’s the only streaming media device that can connect to a College or University WiFi that requires web authentication — which is just about all of them these days. The Fire TV Stick lets students can watch all their favorite movies, TV shows, games, and more without any hassle of paying cable fees.

The HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset has surround sound.

Not to go all geek here, but holy headphones batman! The HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset ($99) has 7.1 virtual surround sound—so it’s like having seven positional speakers around your head—like you’re in a movie theater. They are amazing for gaming, listening to music, or for dealing with paper-thin dorm room walls. They are super lightweight and comfortable to wear for hours.

The Rocketbook One ($19) is like no other notebook you’ve ever seen. It’s cloud-connected and works hand-in-hand with the Rocketbook app on your kids’ smartphone to digitize everything written within it, keeping notes safe and shareable across multiple platforms. A seven category system archives everything organized, and the app lets you recall notes in an instant. Oh, and if you really want to take your students’ note taking to the next level, pick up on of the classic Rocketbook notebooks ($39) that are endlessly reusable thanks to heat-sensitive ink that disappears after a short jump in the microwave. It’s like magic.

HP Instant Ink can save you 50%-70% on ink costs.

It’s 11PM, a paper is due on the teacher’s desk by 9AM, and the only thing standing between your student and an A+ is a printer with an ink cartridge as dry as the Sahara desert. Running to the 24-hour department store is going to leave you with an absurd bill, but you have no other choice — or do you? HP make several printers, like the HP Envy 4520 and the Officejet 4630, that know when they’re running low and can order your ink refills all by themselves. HP’s Instant Ink subscription costs as little as $2.99 per month, which covers the cost of the ink plus shipping and handling. That can save you as much as 50%-70% of the cost of a normal year’s worth of ink, plus you’ll never run dry again.

What are some of the hidden talents you’ve discovered in your favorite gadgets? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.

Posted in Connected Kids, Digital Parenting, Great Gadgets, In The Press, TechNow, Top tech news

Read Jenn’s latest New York Times column here: Smart Desks to Keep You Moving

Posted in Great Gadgets, Health & Fitness, In The Press, Tips & Tricks, Top tech news, Uncategorized

For parents, Spring Break is just a dry run for summer. Do you have enough activities to keep the kids occupied — in a guilt-free way — or will you have to end up at the public pool every single day? Will you be able to run errands without going absolutely nuts? If you load up your smartphone or tablet with these apps, you may just spare yourself some tantrums … from yourself and your kid.

For Ages 0-2

If you’re a parent of a newborn, you may think that putting your kid in front of an iPad is Bad Parenting 101, but with simple apps built just for little babes you can give them a few minutes of the same kind of stimulation they get from other toys — without having to bring a suitcase full of of them wherever you go.

1. Baby’s Musical Hands: Did all of that Baby Bach pay off? Is your baby showing signs of being the next musical prodigy? Do you want them to? Baby’s Musical Hands doesn’t require that your baby be a prodigy, but it may stimulate them right to the preschool spotlight. Your little one just taps on colored squares in three colors. Each color makes a different instrument sound and as your baby taps, not only do they play a symphony (probably one only a mother could love), but they leave trails of stars on the screen so it’s still fun when muted. The app is available on Android and iOS.

2. Baby Bubbles: There’s a line in the movie Knocked Up that rings true for any parent, “I wish I loved anything as much as my kids love bubbles.” Paul Rudd was spot on, which is what makes this app so brilliant. Bubbles come up from the bottom of the screen, and your baby pops them with a pleasant satisfaction of a “pop” noise. It’s kind of like Fruit Ninja without the sense of urgency or samurai swords. The app is available on on iOS for free.

For ages 2-5

There called the Terrible Twos for a reason. While your kid is enduring misunderstood years of toddler-hood, there will be moments when you want to entertain them with something that’s not TV. These apps will help them get interactive.

3. Vine Kids: There’s something that’s already so infantile about Vine. Super short videos. Easy laughs. But having your kids play with Vine is putting them within swipe’s reach of seeing something very NSFW. Vine’s solution is Vine Kids. Every video is kid-friendly cartoon or video and kids can swipe left or right to see new Vines. When they tap on the screen, they’ll hear fun noises. The app is available on iOS.

4. Disney Color and Play: Back in my day, the only way to bring our coloring book drawings to life was to make them into paper dolls. Are paper dolls still a thing? Anyway, this app from Disney works with pages from the Disney Color and Play Coloring Book. After they color a character in the book, they hover the app over their picture and watch the character come to life on screen. The app features characters from Sofia the First, Big Hero 6, Doc McStuffins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It’s available on iOS.

Ages 5-7

Too old for alphabet apps, but too young for Words With Friends? Here are some more options that will occupy your kid’s mind while also dropping some knowledge.

5. Toca Nature: I’m not sure why more adult games don’t look like this. Compared to Farmville, this is a digital masterpiece. In this fanciful pastel-colored forest, your kids build and explore with no points to be won. They can plant things and watch them grow while they create new climates for new creatures. The best part is that it’s so zen, your kids won’t get too hyped up or frustrated. The app is available on iOS for $3.

6. YouTube Kids: Children’s videos on YouTube is where the real viral action is at because kids will watch the same video over and over and over again. YouTube tapped into the kids market with their new kids app that features a collection of videos for little ones. From Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba to puppet videos and train videos, your kids can surf through a simple interface with large icons and you can chill out knowing that all of the videos are okay for kids. The app is available on iOS andAndroid for free.

7. Brainzy Math and Reading Program: If you want to keep your kids learning outside the classroom, this is one of the funnest ways to do it. The program comes with 300 games and 50 songs and stories made by the people at Education.com. The games are silly enough to be fun, with the learning parts snuck in there. You can even check out your what your kid’s been up to on the Progress Dashboard. The app is availablevia any Chrome, Firefox or Safari browser for $4/month.

For Ages 7-10

These may be the final, precious years before your little ones becomes a Vine star or an Instagram master. Here are the apps that will keep them young.

8. Masterpiece for Osmo: This app/gadget will make your coloring book collection look like old news. Just snap the Osmo device onto your iPad and download the app, then your kids can take photos of people or objects and the app will change the picture into lines so it’s easy for them to trace. They trace the image on paper and as they draw, the image is filled in on screen. They can color, print and send their own artwork by themselves and before you know it, you’re raising the next Van Gogh. The app is available on iOS for free, the Osmo gadget package is $79.

9. Epic! If you can’t dish out money for all of the magazine subscriptions and books that your kids wants, this digital library is a great solution. From National Geographic Kids to Batman Vs Catwoman, they can flip through thousands of ebooks and earn badges the more that they read. If your kids are a little younger, you can choose from the read-to-me selection of narrated books instead. Your kids can rate their favorites and the app will make selections of what to read next. The app is available on iOS for free orright in your browser.

10. Dumb Ways to Die: This is one for the older kids, but this game is really clever, funny and has a really eye-catching design. It’s your simple task-based game taking your kid on new challenges to avoid uncertain cartoonish death. It’s a fun, light-hearted alternative to super graphic shoot-em-ups for your more mature kids. It’s available for free on iTunes and Android.

Full Disclosure:

***Disney has sponsored a small portion of production fees for video appearing on this blog site.***

SPONSORED POST GUIDELINES: Articles that are denoted “sponsored by” an advertiser cover topics that serve the goals of the advertiser, *but are not dictated, reviewed, or edited* by said advertiser. The editorial content therein is developed independently and does not contain opinion or marketing content from the advertiser.

Posted in Connected Kids, Digital Parenting, Girlfriend's Guide, Great Gadgets, In The Press, Sponsored

Does what you wear on the mountain make a difference in your ability – especially if your just a once or twice a year skier in general? What’s come out in the last two years that’s blowing everyone away? We find out, in a Tech Now coming up.

Posted in Connected Kids, Digital Parenting, Girlfriend's Guide, Great Gadgets, In The Press, TechNow, TechStyled, Tips & Tricks, Top tech news, What The Tech

Posted in In The Press, TechNow, Tips & Tricks

Posted in Girlfriend's Guide, Great Gadgets, In The Press, TechStyled

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been a bit of a BlackBerry basher. The struggling smartphone, once at the epicenter of our nation’s gadget addiction, feels like it’s all but gone the way of the 8-track in recent years. While far from extinct, I can’t remember the last time I saw someone walking down the street talking, texting, or taking a selfie on one. My few friends who still carry a BlackBerry primarily use them for work, while opting for an iPhone or Android as their personal phone.

So why are we still talking about it?

And yet … just when you think it’s time to say goodbye to the good ole’ CrackBerry for good, it seems by many cautiously optimistic accounts that the embattled company could be on a path to making a comeback.

On Friday, CEO John Chen, a noted turnaround artist, reported good news, by way of an earnings showing a fourth-quarter net loss of $423 million. While most of us have a hard time wrapping our heads around how Chen could be “pleased” with that result, industry and financial analysts expected it to be a lot worse. Chen said that BlackBerry’s most recent financials are “on track and slightly ahead” of expectations, and re-asserted that BlackBerry will return to profitability and growth within little more than a year.

So what does all this mean for BlackBerry loyalists who swear by the devices flagship security and productivity features? While the company pivots back to its core strengths — securing mobile devices on the internal networks of corporate and government clients such as MasterCard, Daimler AG and Airbus Group — there’s a new line of handsets on its way for die-hard keyboard lovers. While smartphones won’t be the main focus, Chen said that BlackBerry plans to introduce high-end smartphones that cater to keyboard aficionados in the coming 18 months.

Is BlackBerry worth considering?

Recently, I gave BlackBerry’s all-new Z30 smartphone a spin. I used it for three weeks, and it was a lot better than I expected it to be. Here are three things it did better than my iPhone 5s:

– It lasts a lot longer on a single charge: My iPhone usually poops out after about 8 hours, but the BlackBerry stays awake for some 25 hours.

– It’s easier to type on: The built-in predictive text feature doesn’t just finish the word you’re typing, but it can predict the next word based on your past writing patterns. It saves time and tapping.

– It’s a better organizer: The notification hub puts all your messages, notifications, and calls in one place. Its clean layout is easy on the eyes and perfect to glance at when you have just a few seconds.

But those bonuses also come with a few drawbacks that will keep me from switching to BlackBerry for the long haul:

– The lack of apps: I want Netflix, and I want it on my phone — and I don’t want to take extra steps to get it. To say the marketplace just isn’t as robust as the competition, is a major understatement, and app lovers will suffer. Sure, you can switch some apps over (using the Device Switch App) or download Android apps from a handful of places like the Amazon Appstore, but these extra steps are a pain when you’re used to having everything you want right at your fingertips. If you’ve grown accustomed to the iOS, or even Android ecosystem, this feels like you’re just going too far back.

– It’s out-of-sync: iOS’s ability to automatically populate photos, notifications, and messages across all my — and my family’s — devices is something I just can’t give up. Sure, there are apps that will do it for you, but taking that extra step is just too much of a pain.

– The “cool” factor: I want my main gadget to be an extension of my personality. BlackBerry says “business,” when the phone I want to carry around also needs to denote “pleasure.”

That feeling — that the Z30 is great, but simply can’t replace my current smartphone — is just one part of BlackBerry’s current predicament. For the past few years, the company has been a bit like a lost man in the desert, unsure of exactly what they need to do to improve its situation. But the BlackBerry platform still has value to millions of people. BBM, the built-in messaging service on all of the company’s smartphones, is still a ridiculously popular application, and you can even download and use BBM on Android and iPhone.

For the moment, it seems like BlackBerry is making a positive step toward reinventing itself.

Using the Z30 has actually made me consider carrying two devices — one for work and one for play — and I think I finally understand what CrackBerry addicts have been praising all these years. I’m anxious to take the next model — reportedly called the Q20 and expected to hit store shelves around the holidays — out for a spin. For the first time in many years, I’m cheering for this underdog. We all like a good comeback story.

Posted in Great Gadgets, In The Press, TechNow

Move over Justin Bieber. Newly crowned ‘queen of comedy’ Mindy Kaling proved one of the hottest celebrity sightings in town during Austin’s SXSW festival this week, as Seth Meyers and other stars made appearances at the event.

Kaling is the creator, executive producer, writer, and star of The Mindy Project, which was recently renewed for a third season. She also revealed that she’s working on a follow-up to her 2011 bestselling book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

With the Roku Lounge as the backdrop, Kaling spoke with us one-on-one, as a crowd of around 500 people gathered as closely as they could to listen in. At one point, a young woman sitting cross-legged on the floor about five feet away gushed over Kaling’s brightly colored beaded necklace, before asking if she could sit on the star’s pink pantsuit-clad lap.

Kaling responded demurely before shifting back to more burning hot topics, such as why she doesn’t like watching TV shows on a smartphone or tablet, “It’s too small for me, I need to be surrounded [by a big screen] … I don’t find it satisfying to watch an episode of say, Walking Dead, like I can’t be scared if it’s that little [size], and be like ‘Rick run, run, it’s a walker,’ if it’s on a screen that [tiny].”

Kaling also admitted that even though she’s a prolific tweeter and loves to share her life experiences via Instagram (including a recent trip to the White House), she does not consider herself to be very tech savvy,

“The fact that I can stream things on TV with my little Apple remote and I haven’t lost it — it’s the size of a thimble — I’m like a B-minus level.”

Posted in In The Press, TechNow, Top tech news