all categories Deals, Sales, and News

Star Bright Kids Company via Amazon.com has the Braille Math Blocks by Uncle Goose for $22.00. Shipping adds about $5, or bump your order over $25 for free shipping. This set of 16 blocks includes embossed braille numbers and Nemeth math symbols and is made right here in Michigan.

Amazon.com has the Mabis Talking Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor for $39.88. With free shipping, we couldn't find it for less elsewhere. It stores up to 120 readings for two people, is bilingual, and offers comparisons to standards set by the World Health Organization.

According to a reader, Amerimark offers a talking atomic clock for $10.49. With about $7 for shipping, we couldn't find a talking atomic clock for less elsewhere. It works in the major U.S. time zones and adjusts for Daylight Savings Time. It requires two C batteries (not included). Update: It looks like it sold out.

An EBay seller has listed a 10-user license for Zoomtext Magnifier 8.1 with a current bid of $44.98. Shipping adds about $10. If everything checks out, this is a gigantic savings over purchasing this directly from AI Squared. This is one version removed from the current Zoomtext 9 series, so upgrade and possibly transfer fees may apply. Auction ends November 8.

An EBay seller and Blind Bargains reader has listed a Pac mate QX400 notetaker with a starting bid of $325. By comparison, a new Pac Mate Omni retails at over $2,300. This QWERTY keyboard unit is one generation removed from the Omni, but can be easily upgraded through Freedom Scientific's trade-in program. Auction ends November 7.

There's another Trekker GPS system on EBay with a starting bid of $400 plus shipping. This one is running version 3.0 and also includes other PDA functions. These sell for nearly $2,000 new. Auction ends today.

An EBay seller and Blind Bargains reader has posted an Alva ABT Series 3 80-cell braille display with a starting bid of $750. With about $14, that's several thousand dollars off the price of a new unit. It's advertised as working and comes with connection cables. Here's some info from Synapse Adaptive describing the display in more detail. Auction ends November 7.

Dollarright via Amazon.com has the ClassCo VoiceAnnounce Talking Caller ID Model# 9900CW) for $33.95. With free shipping, we couldn't find it for less elsewhere. This unit allows you to record names for up to 50 numbers, works with most call waiting services, and offers a custom outgoing message feature.

The Assistive Technology Industry Association offers this list of exhibitors scheduled to appear at their new Chicago conference later this week. Over 100 companies will be represented including most assistive technology companies for the blind, though curiously Serotek is not on the list. It will be interesting to see how this new conference is received and whether it will adversely affect attendance for the Orlando conference next January.

An EBay seller and Blind Bargains reader has posted a Victor Reader Stream portable media player with a starting bid of $200. With $10 for shipping, that's nearly $140 off the cost of a new unit. Plus, an 8GB memory card is included. Auction ends October 31.

Orbit Research has just released the iBill Talking Banknote Identifyer for $99.99. At this price, this is the least expensive bill identifyer currently on the market. According to the manufacturer, this device recognizes every US banknote in circulation in about a second and is able to announce denominations by voice, tones or vibration. The iBill runs on 1 AAA battery and can be ordered immediately.

Earlier today, we let you in on a security vulnerability found in JAWS 10 as reported on Tyler Spivey�s blog. According to the blog, a security vulnerability exists in JAWS 10 allowing a user to gain access to the command prompt as an administrator from the login screen. It allows an attacker to gain full system access to the computer, according to the post. We were not able to verify the claim, but you can listen to an audio demonstration of the process and try it yourself by navigating to the link above.

Attention supporters of Braille literacy through electronic Braille and the
right for consumer choice.

The above link will take you to a petition created
by the National Federation of the Blind in Computer Science and Open Braille API Initiative. This petition vehemently opposes the Secure and Compatible Braille Display driver signing polacy recently announced by Freedom Scientific. Please follow the below link to read more and if in agreement, show your support by adding your name and optional comments.

At Blind Bargains, we're big fans of Amazon Prime, the website's membership club offering free two-day shipping. First of all, there's no $25 minimum order to get free shipping. We've ordered $3 packages of batteries, $10 CD's, and many other items without paying an additional cent for shipping. Furthermore, Prime offers us an assurance of when items will arrive. With two-day shipping for free, we know exactly when to expect the items we order. Amazon will display the day the item will arrive on the product page while logged in. If we need something faster, overnight shipping is available for $3.99 per item. Combine this with Amazon's one-click ordering, and the $79 annual membership becomes an indispensable tool. You can try it free for a month using the link on this post. Also, split the cost with up to four family members to save more money. In our opinion, once you go Prime, there's no turning back.

A press release from book and content distributor Baker & Taylor speaks of a new partnership with K-NFB Reading Technology and mentions an upcoming electronic book reader. According to the release, "K-NFB Reading Technology’s new e-reader will operate seamlessly on a variety of electronic
devices, including
personal computers
, smart phones and cell phones." This could allow for speech and braille access to a vast library of books of a magnitude never seen before.
Baker and Taylor distributes and manages over 1.1 million E-books, though it is unclear how many will be available on the upcoming software. Here's another press release from the National Federation of the Blind, using the term millions in reference to the amount of books which may be commercially available. Watch Blind Bargains for more news on this new product as it develops.

An EBay seller and Blind Bargains reader has listed an almost new in box Humanware Maestro Trekker talking GPS system with a current bid of $400. These retail for nearly $1,900 new and includes a fully-functioning accessible GPS software and PDA functions. It has been barely used and comes with standard accessories. Auction ends October 14.

One of the biggest challenges faced by a blind traveler is obtaining a concept of their surroundings. The availability of Braille maps has been rare if not nonexistent. Thanks to a partnership between the Tactile Map Automated Production (TMAP) Project and the San Francisco Lighthouse, one can now obtain hard copy maps for any address in the United States for a small fee. After seeing the results for an area near our home, we were quite impressed.

As a reminder, you can win a Moshi Travel Alarm Clock by following us on Twitter. All you have to do to enter is
Follow blindbargains on Twitter. If you're already following us, great! You're already entered. On October 20 at around 5 PM eastern, we'll take all current Twitter followers and randomly select one to win the Moshi.
We hope you'll join us on Twitter, and be the first to see our latest deals, articles, and news.
Spamming by opening multiple Twitter accounts will not be tolerated.
Read on for complete rules.

Serotek has been busy this year rolling out a wide array of podcasts covering a wide array of accessibility news and technologies, both from Serotek and other companies. Of note, the Serotalk Tech Chats are now hosted on their Accessible Event service, allowing for user interaction and questions via text. Their latest weekly podcast, for example, includes a discussion of the accessibility of upcoming versions of the Pro Tools audio editing software for the Mac, among many other stories.

Handy Tech North America now offers Handy CMS, the new online Contact Management System developed with an emphasis on accessibility. Please navigate to the above link to read more and obtain a trial!