Computers/Hardware Deals, Sales, and News

An Ebay seller has listed a working American printing House 4-track cassette recorder for $29.95 or best offer. Add about $12 for shipping. This is one of the desktop model player/recorders and has a built-in rechargeable battery. Listing ends April 3 if not sold earlier. Update: This item has been sold.

An Ebay seller has listed an Index Basic Braille Embosser with a current bid of $8.50. This single-sided embosser prints on tractor-fed paper at up to 50 characters per second. Note: The seller lists this as a Basic D, but the D is a double-sided embosser and the item is described as single-sided. Auction ends March 31.

Humanware has announced some vast improvements to its My Reader system for low-vision users. The My Reader 2 includes Multi-page storage with a 10-page memory. Also, the release claims that the new reader will take streams of words and reorganize them in a way that is more suitable for reading, such as in a single column or row. More details are found in their press release.

Telesensory, now with new owners, has returned to the scene with their first new product. The Vertex-1, a semi-portable magnification system weighing less than 5 pounds, is being shown at CSUN. It magnifies up to 48X and has a 17-inch monitor. Read the press release for details, and thanks to the Ranger Station blog for the link.

Jeremy reports on the GW Micro blog about some forthcoming press releases from the company. The Voice Sense will be a voice-only version of the Braille Sense PDA. Also, a new USB braille display, called SyncBraille, will be available, in a 20 and 32-cell version. A new camera enhancement for the SenseView low-vision magnifier was also announced. We'll post official press releases as they become available.

An Ebay seller has listed a TeleSensory Navigator Braille Terminal for $299.99. It is guaranteed to work upon arrival, though it does not include a power supply. Auction ends March 23.

Handy Tech U.S. is offering 10 percent off its line of braille displays at CSUN. Of note, the Easy Braille with Blue Tooth falls to under $4,500, a $500 savings. Formerly Triumph Technologies, Handy Tech is now the exclusive distributor for this international company in the United States and Canada. Find them at booth 302.

An Ebay seller has listed two braille displays, both with a starting bid of $380. The Telesensory Navigator is an 80-cell unit, and will work with modern screen readers as a PowerBraille. The Notex is a 40-cell display which was actually part of an older 486 computer. Both are advertised as working items. Auctions end March 18.

On this week's Main Menu, Larry Skutchan will discuss the latest products from APH, including the Book Port 2 and the Icon Braille Plus. You will also have an opportunity to call in with questions. Main Menu starts at 9 eastern, 6 pacific in the United States, which is an hour later due to the change in time.

Sendero Group is giving away copies of its Sendero GPS System to current BrailleNote or VoiceNote users without the software. Register at the link in this post. A valid notetaker serial number is required. The contest promises a winner for every 100 entries received. No end date is given.

In case you missed the first two, an Ebay seller has listed another Allreader all-in-one reading machine for a BuyItNow price of $500 plus shipping. This device includes a scanner, OCR software, synthetic speech, DAISY player, and CD burner. This would be great for someone with limited computing skills or for a public lab. Auction ends March 11, if not bought sooner.

An Ebay seller has listed a Juliet Classic Interpoint braille embosser for $599.99. This item is guaranteed to work and includes the power cable, according to the seller. This embosser prints double-sided braille at up to 56 characters per line. Auction ends March 6.

BA Software has informed us that the Triple-Talk PCI Speech Synthesizer is being discontinued by the manufacturer. This is the internal, card version of the device. They have limited stock at $350 with free shipping, the lowest price we could find. Once they sell out, they will only have the USB models.

CircuitCity.com has the Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P Micro PC for $1,549.99 after mail-in rebates. While that's $50 over our last mention, use the link on this page to get an all-in-one printer and wireless router for free after another $150 in mail-in rebates. This ultraportable computer is similar in size to the OQO and is more powerful, with an Intel Core Solo 1.2GHZ processor, 40GB hard drive, 1GB memory, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, USB 2.0, speaker, and support for Cingular's broadband network. Use a docking cable to plug in other devices. Rebates end March 3.

Looking for a budget laptop? CircuitCity.com has the Everex StepNote VA4103M 15.4" Widescreen Notebook PC for $469.99 after two mail-in rebates, totaling $180. It features a Celeron Mobile 1.5GHZ processor, 512MB ram, DVD burner, and Windows Vista Home Basic. Deal ends March 3.

Mee, inc. has listed several discounted adaptive technology items on its website. Currently they have a Mount Batten ProBraille Trainer/printer for $2,995, a My Reader also for $2,995, and a Voyager 70 Braille Display for $5,550. All are $1,000 to $2,000 off retail. Deal ends March 31.

An Ebay seller has listed a Thomas braille embosser with a Transend control unit for $202.50. The Thomas is a single-sided, 40 characters-per-second embosser from Enabling Technologies. The Transend allows for print and braille to be printed on the same page, though an additional print printer would be required. Auction ends early on February 25. Update: This link has now been fixed.

CircuitCity.com takes 7% off a purchase of $199 or more using coupon code 23A2C9MAZ7. Some items, including computers, are excluded. Coupon ends February 24.

Buy.com has the Brother HL-2070N Network Laser Printer for $90.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. With free shipping, it's one of the best deals we've seen for a network laser printer. A network laser printer means that you could hook this device up to a router and print from any computer on your network without having to keep a specific machine turned on. It prints up to 20 pages per minute. Deal ends February 25.

CircuitCity.com has the Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P Micro PC for $1,649.99. A mail-in rebate of $150 drops the price to $1,499.99. With free shipping, that's a $100 drop since our last mention and the lowest price we could find for this ultraportable computer. This computer is similar in size to the OQO and is more powerful, with an Intel Core Solo 1.2GHZ processor, 40GB hard drive, 1GB memory, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, USB 2.0, speaker, and support for Cingular's broadband network. Use a docking cable to plug in other devices. Rebate ends February 24.