Entertainment Deals, Sales, and News

For new subscribers only, The New York Times via Google One offers a New York Times 6-Month Trial Digital Subscription for free. That's a savings of $90 and the best deal we've seen for a NYT digital subscription. It includes unlimited article access via NYTimes.com and the NYTimes app. Deal ends today. Note: After your trial, you'll be billed $7.49 a month for 12 months, and then $14.99 per month after that unless you cancel the subscription.

Amazon offers its 3rd-generation Amazon Echo Dot in several colors for $29.99. Even better add two to your cart for a final price of $50. With free shipping, that's $25 each, and $10 under the lowest price we could find for two sold separately. This current-generation Echo Dot features a new speaker design, making it 70% louder than the previous model with better sound quality.

For new subscribers only, The New York Times via Google One offers a New York Times 6-Month Trial Digital Subscription for free. That's a savings of $90 and the best deal we've seen for a NYT digital subscription. It includes unlimited article access via NYTimes.com and the NYTimes app. Deal ends December 31. Note: After your trial, you'll be billed $7.49 a month for 12 months, and then $14.99 per month after that unless you cancel the subscription.

For new subscribers only, The New York Times via Google One offers a New York Times 6-Month Trial Digital Subscription for free. That's a savings of $90 and the best deal we've seen for a NYT digital subscription. It includes unlimited article access via NYTimes.com and the NYTimes app. Deal ends December 31. Note: After your trial, you'll be billed $7.49 a month for 12 months, and then $14.99 per month after that unless you cancel the subscription.

Amazon offers its 3rd-generation Amazon Echo Dot in several colors for $29.99. Even better add two to your cart for a final price of $50. With free shipping, that's $25 each, and $10 under the lowest price we could find for two sold separately. This current-generation Echo Dot features a new speaker design, making it 70% louder than the previous model with better sound quality.

Walmart offers the Britelite iRocker Bluetooth PA Speaker System for $47.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest price we could find by $10. It features: 1,000 watts of peak power, 12" woofer, 60hz to 29khz frequency response, RCA connections, handle & wheels.

For new subscribers only, The New York Times via Google One offers a New York Times 6-Month Trial Digital Subscription for free. That's a savings of $90 and the best deal we've seen for a NYT digital subscription. It includes unlimited article access via NYTimes.com and the NYTimes app. Deal ends December 31. Note: After your trial, you'll be billed $7.49 a month for 12 months, and then $14.99 per month after that unless you cancel the subscription.

Today only, Amazon.com has the Amazon Echo for $153.71. With free shipping, that's over $25 off list and the lowest price we've seen since Black Friday week. To learn more about the Amazon Echo, check out Blind Bargains Qast 54.

Amazon Tap, the latest member of the Amazon device family, is available for pre-order for $129.99 with free shipping. Amazon Tap is an Alexa-enabled portable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speaker that offers rich, full-range sound. Just tap and ask for music from Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn. It uses the Alexa Voice Service when connected to Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot to play music, read the news, provide weather reports, and even order a pizza. Streams all your music via Bluetooth from your phone or tablet. Delivers crisp sound powered by Dolby, with dual stereo speakers that provide 360 omni-directional audio. Provides up to 9 hours of playback and is always getting smarter, adding new features and skills. To learn more or to preorder, simply follow the provided link.

Best Buy currently has the 32GB and 64GB models available for pre-order for $149.99 and $199.99 with delivery or in-store pickup beginning on Wednesday November 4th. Additionally, a two-year AppleCare plan is available for $29. For those with gift cards, or credits from a Best Buy Elite membership may want to go this route. Apple will have its new streaming device in-store on Friday, but availability may be limited. If you've yet to place an order for the 4th generation Apple TV, Best Buy may be the most solid option if you have a retail location nearby.

Walmart offers the Kettler Large Checker/Chess Board, model no. 218752, for $99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find by $151. It measures 120 inches x 120 inches and is 1 inch tall (game pieces are sold separately) or create your own.

Best Choice Products via eBay offers this Beginners Acoustic Guitar Starter Kit in Natural, Blue, or Pink for $34.95 with free shipping. That's $40 off list and the lowest total price we could find. This set includes a 38" acoustic guitar, case, strap, tuner, extra strings, and pick.

We're often asked for recommendations on good portable microphones which can be used to record podcasts or for voice chat. One of the best for the money is the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone, available on Amazon for $59.95 with free shipping.

Back in the fall I read about a new series on NBC that would feature a blind character. The show, which we now know is called Growing Up Fisher, is about a families transition through divorce. What makes this show different is that the dad is a blind lawyer. According to an article in Studio System news , the show is based on the childhood of the main writer DJ Nash. His goal was to write about what it was like to have a blind dad and experience his parents going through a divorce.

After waiting for months to find out when the show would be airing, it was recently announced that the show would premier after the closing ceremonies of the olympics which is this Sunday. To see the premier though, you'll have to stay up until 10:30. If you miss the premier, you can watch the show on Tuesdays at 9:30 on NBC. To get a feel for what the show is like, check out the videos on the Growing Up Fisher Youtube page.

There have been a number of shows that have featured blind characters. In all cases that I'm aware of, none of these characters have been played by blind actors. Growing Up Fisher is no different. This show also adds in the complexity that the character is a guide dog user. So now, the writers are left with the task of not only portraying the blind community accurately, but how to use a guide dog. It is my sincere hope that Mel Fisher will be a character that will be a positive contribution to our community and show viewers that people who are blind are capable of doing anything they choose.

Contrary to what many may think, watching TV is something that many blind people enjoy. At this point though, getting access to the program guide, or something like On Demand from Comcast is pretty much impossible. There are even more hours of audio described programming available then ever before, but in order to turn on that feature you have to go through a set of visual menus. Comcast has decided to address this problem, and they demonstrated their first talking cable TV interface today. According to an article from Comcast, "The ability to navigate the program guide as the interface speaks channel names and numbers, time slots, and program details empowers customers to explore all that Xfinity TV has to offer." The interface will even have a button on the remote that will turn on descriptive audio if it's available. The design is still a prototype, but Comcast hopes to have it available in the near future.