Portable Devices Deals, Sales, and News

Acer via eBay offers the factory-refurbished Acer Iconia A1-830-1633 7.9 Inch 16GB Android Tablet in White, model no. NT.L3WAA.001, for $89.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we've seen for this tablet. (It's also $55 below the best price we could find for a new one.) It features an Intel Atom Z2560 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 7.9 inch 1024x768 LCD, 1GB RAM, 16GB of flash storage, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, and Android 4.1 OS (Jelly Bean). A 90-day Acer warranty applies.

Blutek via eBay offers the open-box Apple iPad Air 16GB WiFi Tablet in Silver, model no. MD788LL/A, or Space Gray, model no. MD785LL/A, for $349.99 plus shipping. That's the lowest total price we've seen for these models in any condition.

Newegg offers the open-box LG G-Pad 8.3 Inch 16GB WiFi Android Tablet in White, model no. LGV500.AUSAWH, for $186.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we've seen for a new one. (It's also a current low by $63.) Features include an 1920x1200 8.3 inch touchscreen LCD, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB flash storage, 802.11n wireless, 5-megapixel camera, microSD card slot, and Google Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean).

Buyspry via eBay offers the refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 16GB 10.1 Inch Android Tablet in Black or White, model no. SM-T520, for $249.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we've seen for this 16GB tablet. (It's also a current price low for a refurb by $75.) It features an Exynos 5420 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 10.1 inch 2560x1600 touchscreen LCD, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, and Android 4.4 OS (KitKat).

Blutek via eBay offers the Apple iPad Air 32GB WiFi Tablet with Retina Display in Space Gray, model no. MD786LL/A, or White, model no. MD789LL/A, for $489.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find by $60.

Newegg offers the 2014 Asus MeMO Pad 8 Inch 16GB Android Tablet in Black, model no. ME181C-A1-BK, for $159. Coupon code EMCPAHH225 cuts it to $149. With free shipping, that's the lowest total price we could find by $10. It features an Intel Bay Trail quad-core 1.33GHz processor, 8 inch 1280x800 HD IPS touchscreen display, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 2-megapixel front camera, 5-megapixel rear camera, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, microSD card reader, microUSB, and Google Android 4.4 (Kit Kat). Deal ends September 23.

At this year's ATIA conference in Orlando, Optilec announced the release of their new portable video magnifier called the Compact Touch HD. The touch screen display allows users to change magnification level, contrast color, and pan through snapshots by using simple gestures on the screen. The Compact Touch HD can also be connected to a larger display to make reading easier. This new magnifier can be ordered today for $995.

At this year's ATIA conference in Orlando, HIMS Inc. announced the upcoming release of their new E-Bot portable video magnifiers. The E-bot can be used to read things up close or at a distance. It also can be used with both Apple tablets, Android tablets, Windows PC's, and Mac PC's. The E-bot can be connected either wirelessly or by USB 3.0, displaying the image from the magnifier on the larger screen. Some of the other notable features include: OCR with built-in TTS for reading documents, a rechargeable battery that can last up to 4 hours, and auto brightness that adjusts to the lighting in your surroundings. Two models will be available, with the OCR features and a remote control included in the ADV model. HIMS will start shipping the magnifiers in March. No pricing was available.

In preparation for the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Orlando, Freedom Scientific has just announced a new addition to their Ruby line of handheld magnifiers. The Ruby HD uses LED technology to provide crisp images that can be magnified from 2X to 13X. Users can also choose from 20 different high contrast colors. Finally, users can store up to 80 images and transfer them to their computer, making the Ruby a digital camera as well. This version of the Ruby sells for $645.

Humanware offers the Trekker Breeze for $729.00 with free shipping. That's $200 off the regular price!

Imagine doing your neighborhood chores freely without having to depend on other people, without having to count your steps or always worrying about getting lost. Breeze tells you where you are, where you are going and what is around, such as stores and public services. Click the link provided or call 1 800-722-3393 to learn more. Deal ends June 30.

LS&S has the Kapten portable GPS navigation system on clearence for $225. With about $17 for shipping, it's less than half the original cost of this unit. A newer model of the Kapten is now available for close to $500. The Kapten is a self-contained GPS system which offers several route navigation modes.

Freedom Sientific has released version 6.5 for their PAC Mate Omni PDA, as well as lowered prices for the entire line of PAC Mate Omni devices.
The speech-only PAC Mate is now $1495, the 20-cell version costs $2895, and the 40-cell model costs $4695. The 6.5 release adds support for RealSpeak Voices, Mundu® IM and FS DAISY Player is now built-in to the firmware. Version 6.5 is available for free to existing PAC mate Omni customers.

Blind Mice Mart has refurbished i.d. mate Omni Barcode Scanners for $699.88. With free shipping, this is at least $500 off the cost of the i.d. Mate Summit. The Omni has the capability to hold the current bar code database and comes with all standard accessories.

For a reader, OpticsPlanet.com has the Brunton Braille Compass for $57.99. With free shipping, we couldn't find this item for less elsewhere. It includes braille labels at the four cardinal directions and dots for other points.

Handy Tech North America has the Olympus DM-4 Digital Voice Recorder for $299. With about $10 for shipping, we weren't able to find a better deal on this item. The Dm-4 features a 2.2-inch color LCD display, 8GB of built-in storage, the ability to play and record in MP3, WMA and Wav formats, 29 hours of battery life, and support for Daisy, audible and other books. The DM-4 also features voice guidance, which speaks the device's menus and settings, as well as Nuance Vocalizer text-to-speech for reading TXT and Daisy books. To this point, no NLS support has been included in the unit.

GW Micro has anounced the BookSense DS, a version of their digital book player that features an OLED display. The screen can display what the BookSense is saying, as well as display books and documents. The BookSense DS features 4GB of memory, a SDHC slot, and keys which are more spaced apart than the existing BookSense. A price and ship date have not been anounced.

Humanware has released version 3.1 for their Victor Stream audio book player. This new version adds support for nested folders within the DAISY bookshelf, support for the spanish electronic braile format, and it is now possible to copy DAISY books from USB flash media to the stream. Note that the promised support for books in the EPUB format is not in this release. Version 3.1 is a free update for existing Victor Stream customers.

Guerrilla Technologies, Inc. has announced Visionary, a portable OCR solution for $1500. The system consists of a Dell Mini netbook, capture stand and digital camera. At launch, the product will only be sold with this netbook, although a version without the computer is being considered. This product is expected to be released within the next 30 to 60 days.

GW Micro has announced that the Book Sense audio player will be supporting content from the System Access Mobile network in the near future. This is similar to the feature found on the Plextalk Pocket and the Victor Stream. This will be a free update to existing Book Sense owners and SAMNet subscribers. A release date has not been given.

Shinano Kenshi Corporation and Serotek have announced a partnership which will allow content from the System Access Mobile network to be played on the Plextalk Pocket digital book player. This functionality is similar to that offered by the Humanware Victor Stream.