Computers/Hardware Deals, Sales, and News

An EBay seller has listed a Humanware Braille Window refreshable braille display with a starting bid of $74.99. Add about $15 for shipping. This display is being sold as is without a power supply, but may be worth the gamble for the price.

Lenovo has announced a partnership with the newly-formed AIR Foundation, the same nonprofit that announced a free web-based screen reader a day earlier. The partnership will allow for Lenovo ThinkPad laptops and ThinkCenter desktops to include access software, namely Serotek's System Access screen reader. We'll have more on this in an audio interview with Serotek CEO Mike Calvo later this weekend.

According to a press release, a new groundbreaking product, assumably the previously mentioned KNFB Mobile, will be demonstrated at a press conference in Washington, DC on Monday, January 28 at 10 A.M. Ray Kurzweil will be on hand to introduce the new device which was previously leaked in this year's ATIA program. We'll be on hand and report our findings.

The 2008 program for the ATIA conference has been released, and buried deep inside the exhibitor list is an announcement of an apparent new upgrade to the K-NFB Reader.
"K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. will present the knfbReader Mobile, the latest generation of portable reading technology. Following the success of the popular K-NFB Reader, the revolutionary knfbReader Mobile contains groundbreaking software advancements that provide more accurate print analysis and TTS on a truly hand-held device. We don't have any more details, but will be certain to report more as we learn about it. Stay with Blind Bargains for as it happens ATIA coverage.

Fed up with Windows? Buy.com has an Apple Mac Mini for $549.99. Plus, shipping is free. It sports an Intel Duo Core 1.8ghz processor, 80GB hard drive and 1GB memory,. The Macintosh comes with screen reading software so will talk practically out of the box.

    An Ebay seller has listed 10 I.D. Mate II Portable Bar Code Readers with a BuyItNow price of $450 each. Even with about $15 for shipping, this is roughly $1,000 off the price of a new unit. The I.D. Mate II contains bar code information for over 1.3 million products and features an omnidirectional scanner. 100 bar code labels for marking your own items without codes are also included as well as a 90-day warranty. Item expires January 21. Update: We believe these to be direct from the company, as the location of the auction is Normal, Illinois, the same as En-Vision America.

An EBay seller has listed a like-new KNFB Reader with a starting bid of $1,650. Or, BuyItNow without bidding for $1,795. That's close to $1,000 off retail for this pocket-sized reading machine. All KNFB readers are still under warranty and can be upgraded to the latest firmware which reads a wider variety of print material. Auction ends January 11 unless sold sooner.

It's not often we see an Ohtsuki Braille Embosser on EBay like this one, currently at $107.50. This machine was quite a bit ahead of its time and one of the first machines to produce both print and braille, a tremendous feat for the 1980's. It's being sold as is and shipping is $65. Auction ends January 12.

Independent Living Aids has the Jot-a-Dot Pocket Brailler for $275. That's $70 off list and the lowest price we've seen for this writing tool. It allows you to write braille notes up to 20 cells per line on index cards, 4 by 6 paper, or other small-form sizes. Flip over part of the unit to read what you just wrote, and take this portable notetaker with you on the go. Deal ends January 31.

An EBay seller has listed a working Vera Reading Machine with a starting bid of $199. Made by Freedom Scientific, this device originally sold for $3,000 and is a stand-alone reading machine. Auction ends January 4.

It's not often that we see one of these, but an EBay seller has listed a Trekker GPS system with a starting bid of $500. That's less than half the retail price. This model runs on the Dell Axim PDA and includes several accessories. We are unsure as to the version of the Trekker software, however. Auction ends January 3.

Enhanced Vision offers the Max Color Digital Magnifier for $99 with the purchase of a Merlin LCD CCTV. That's $350 off the retail price for this unit. Resembling the size of a computer mouse, the Max reading aid connects directly to your TV or monitor in seconds and enlarges print on any surface curved or straight. No end date is given for the deal. note: If you can't find this deal on the website, contact them and ask for Justin Moore.

An EBay seller has listed a Romeo Braille Embosser, model RB40, with a current bid of $142.51. Shipping adds about $40. We love how the description focuses on the value of the case more than the embosser, but our readers know otherwise. It's a single-sided embosser that prints up to 40 characters per second. Auction ends December 23.

The I.D. Mate handheld bar code reader sells for $1,199 at the Magnifying Aids EBay store. With about $16 for shipping, it's nearly $100 off and the lowest price we could find. This unit will identify nearly a million items and is great for traveling to the grocery store or organizing your cupboards. Several accessories are also included.

A South Korean company has licensed technology from HP which, it says, will allow them to create a small device to read text aloud. Licensed by a company called Mouscan, Users will be able to waive the Voiscan unit, about the size of a cell phone, over text and hear it read aloud within a few seconds. It will also translate to other languages on the fly, making it a good candidate for international travelers as well as the blind. The closest competition we know of is the KNFB reader, which could make for some interesting competition if this machine works as promised. Expect it some time in 2008. Learn more at Tech Chronicles.

Up on EBay currently is a PowerbBraille 40 with a starting bid price of $14.99. Add about $11 for shipping. It's untested, but may be worth a look at this price. Freedom Scientific charges roughly $700 to repair similar units. Auction ends December 10.

It's not often that newer hardware ends up on EBay, but here we have a Braille Star 40-cell braille display with a bid of $200. It connects via USB and is advertised as working, though you will need to purchase a power supply. In addition to being a braille display, it can act as a scratch pad, storing up to 4,000 pages of text. Auction ends December 7.

TigerDirect.com has the OQO02 ultraportable PC for $1,199.99. Add about $10 for shipping. This is the machine used for the latest version of GW Micro's Smalltalk Ultra. This tiny machine includes a 1.5GHZ processor, 60GB hard drive, 1GB of memory, EVDO broadband support, and a one year warranty.

An EBay seller has listed a Juliet Classic Interpoint braille embosser with a starting bid of $499.95 plus shipping and handling. It's listed in good physical condition but is untested. The seller, however, is offering a 7 day return on the item if it happens to not work. This could end up being a great deal on an Interpoint embosser. Auction ends November 29.

OQO Computers offers $150 off the model 02 of the OQO notebook in its holiday promotion. This is the computer used by GW Micro for its Small Talk Ultra. OQO's start at $1,299, and there are four models to choose from. The latest features a 32 gigabyte solid state flash drive as its primary storage. No end date on the promotion is given.