Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook Talking technology, computers, and the Internet… for the average computer user

I’m a working mom (at home), and I also homeschool, so our life here is *pretty* busy. I’ve been seraching for ways to better manage my little business and the kids’ activities (not to mention all the appointments and taking vitamins and ordering supplements and such). A Twitter pal mentioned the Cozi app, so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s free from the folks at WorkingMother.com.

Essentially, Cozi solves the problems of a large, busy family communicating all the little necessaries of life. When to inform so-and-so of her appointment, how to get an updated grocery list to mom on her way home from the bank, etc. If you have a computer and an iPhone, Cozi is for you.

First thing is registering for an account at Cozi. I signed us all up (every one who wants to contribute needs an email address). The very nice thing about Cozi us that there is just ONE password for the whole family account. My son does not need to remember his own password, nor do I. I like that.

When you sign in, this is what you see.

You have the option of uploading a photo, and naming your family account. The Home Page gives you a quick glimpse of what’s going on currently.

The two most common uses for Cozi, as far as I am concerned, are the calendar and grocery list. I am ALWAYS calling home and they are always calling me, sometimes more than once, to send messages about the grocery list. I usually try to bring the list with me when I go out, even when I don’t expect to be anywhere near a grocery store, but invariably I may travel towards one, or the kids notice that there’s no more milk in the fridge or vitamin supplements on the shelf, or whatever.

Instead of calling me or me calling them, they can log into to Cozi and enter the stuff. I can log into Cozi on my iPhone, and view the grocery list. I can also check things off as I go, a very convenient feature.

Not unexpectedly, the Cozi iPhone app has ads. I can usually easily ignore the ads- hardly notice them at all, actually. My main beef is that they take up precious app space. However, I was pretty surprised to see an ad for Budweiser on the Cozi FAMILY app. I have nothing against beer per se, and I certainly understand that Cozi would have, you know, cheap glucosamine or something, various ads to support this free app (I am a capitalist, after all), but I was a little surprised to see the beer ad on this app. Glucosamine, Vitamins & supplements, ok. BEER??

So I like the purpose of the app– an easy way to connect family information. Cozi also allows you to keep a journal, sends messages back and forth via email very easily (my son loves that), and more.

The interface of Cozi is “OK.” THe website is a little difficult for me to see. It’s light blue and white, two colors that I don’t see together very well. And the interface is a little too fancy, with the fashionable numbers and sleek style. I would prefer a super simple, almost boring interface because fancy graphics are a distraction. While you can change the colors of the each family member (everyone gets their own color for easy sorting), I did not see a way to skin the app. But that’s all just a minor issue. I doubt many people would be so fussy about the interface.

The app is very speedy. I like the drop down menus that appear when you hang your mouse cursor over things. Nice touch. You can also make the app your browser’s home page.

The only problem I have encountered with Cozi is getting the family to consistently use the app. Old habits of pencil and bits and paper die hard… it’s been difficult to “train” everyone to use Cozi. I really like the grocery section, so I’m motivated to learn, too.

I give Cozi a definite thumbs up, 5 out of 5 stars! It works well, is intuitive, and it’s free.

Note: Cozi did not compensate me for this review.