Blind Bargains: Deals & News for the Blind & Visually Impaired

How Far Has Amazon Opened the Door to the Blind? Larry Wanger, a guest writer for the Blind Access Journal, offers a rather detailed account of the pros and shortcomings of the new, more accessible Amazon Kindle 3 in this review.

If you want something slightly more advanced, Apple’s new model of the iPod nanno might be the right choice. It is lighter and smaller than previous models. The iPod nanno now has a 1.7" multitouch LCD screen which controls the playing of music by gestures similar to the ones used by the iPod touch. It also features a clip, up to 24 hours battery life, shake to shuffle, FM tuner and a live pause feature to stop the radio and the ability to rewind as far back as 15 minutes. It also has VoiceOver. The 8 GB model is selling for $149.99 and the 16 GB for $179.99. The iPod nano is available for pre-order today and is scheduled to ship starting next week.

Amazon.com is now taking preorders for the 4th generation iPod Touch for $399.99. Plus, shipping is free. If the price goes down before its release in the next 1-2 weeks, you will be charged the lower price. The new version includes both a rear and front-facing camera, version 4.1 of Apple's mobile operating system, and continued support for VoiceOver.

The Campus Special is a new entry in the online food ordering arena. Like other websites, you can order food from restaurants near you for delivery or takeout. Their version is launching across the country this month and is quite accessible. There's also no service fees, unlike some other services. Check the link on this post to save $2 off your order if you live in or near one of the colleges listed.

Amazon has started shipping the Kindle 3 wireless reading device and now offers the 3G version for $189. As we reported earlier, the device's manual sends mixed signals on the level of accessibility included, though one should be able to navigate most menus and read over half of Amazon's book collection with some tinkering. Future firmware updates may offer additional accessibility improvements. Watch this space for our hands-on review and audio coverage of the Kindle 3 in the coming days.

Amazon.com has the Western Digital My Passport Essential Special Edition 750 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive for $99.99. Plus, shipping is free. We believe it to be the best value of the Passport drives currently, as it's just $10 more than the cost of a 500 GB drive. It's USB-powered so doesn't require a wall outlet to operate.

Buy.com has another refurbished Asus 10.1-inch Netbook for $199.99. With free shipping, it's the cheapest Asus netbook we've seen with Windows XP. It also includes 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, webcam, 802.11G wireless, and a nearly full-size keyboard.

Are you looking to buy a new computer? Maybe your about ready to start your first year of college, but you still haven't found a great deal on a laptop computer. Well here is the solution for you. This Gateway laptop from Buy.com has 4 gigabytes of ram, a dual core processor at 2.4GHZ, a 320 gigabyte hard drive, a web cam, and has Windows® 7 Home Premium installed. It's available now for $479.99 with free shipping. This computer is excellent for multi tasking, keeping up with all your social networking sites, and managing all your digital media needs.

Like many other grocery stores, Amazon inevitably ends up with a stockpile of products which are approaching their sell-by date or that are just taking up space on their virtual shelves. To clear out some of this excess, Amazon offers Warehouse Deals on grocery items, some at pretty drastic savings. The stock changes quite frequently and quantities are limited. For instance, we'd tell you about the 6-pack of Taco Bell Dinner Kits available for $9.99, but we bought the last one. There's currently 6 bottles of Wish-Bone Fat Free Ranch Dressing for $5.99 or a buck per bottle, but that may or may not be there by the time you read this. But there'll most certainly be new items to replace these, as the seleciton is ever-changing. Follow the link on this post and check back often to find the latest offers.

Amazon.com has the Maytex No More Mildew Shower Curtain Liner for $14.99. Shipping adds about $5, or spend $25 or more for free shipping. According to the reviews, this liner will not collect mildew like many other styles. It can be used on its own or with a dedicated shower curtain.

Buy.com has the Kingston 4GB microSDHC (Class 4) High Capacity micro Secure Digital Card for $10.74. Plus, shipping is free. Note that an SD adapter does not come included with this item. It's great for multimedia and music on your cell phone, or to hold those larger GPS map bundles for Mobile Geo, for example.

Amazon has uploaded the manual to the Kindle 3, which will ship later this week. This iteration of the popular book reader includes a new voice guide feature to read menus and some book information. In looking at the manual, its implementation is a mixed bag. We've converted the manual to a plain text format which is linked to this post. Read on for some initial impressions. Read more

Often, we end up taking advantage of the deals we post to Blind Bargains. The Eton FR300 emergency crank-powered radio is one such deal, and J.J. offers a quickfire review in this podcast. While the Newegg special is sold out, you can search for more deals on this and other similar emergency radios. Also, you can Read the product information and manual for this radio.

For a reader, SuperMediaStore.com has an A-Data 16GB class 10 Secure Digital High-capacity Memory Card for $37.99. Plus, shipping is free. That's a buck off our last mention. This card is compatible with devices which accept SDHC cards such as the Booksense or Book Port Plus and is rated at transfer speeds of at least 10MB/sec.

The National Federation of the Blind is fighting for a $250,000 prize to support the 2011 Youth Slam, a program which teaches blind high school students about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. To win, the NFB must place in the top two of voting amongst dozens of other projects. You can vote online as well as via text messaging once per day for the rest of August. For more information and instructions on how to vote, follow the link on this post.

Newegg.com has the eton Self-Powered AM/FM Radio with Flashlight, Siren and Cell Phone Charger for $9.99. With about $5 for shipping, it's $40 off the original retail price for this unit. Great for emergencies, this radio can be powered via batteries, a hand crank, or an AC adapter (not included). It also includes a built-in cell phone charger with tips for many popular phone models. The NOAA weather band is also included which offers weather and emergency information for most locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Walmart has the Rubbermaid 5-Day 50-Quart Wheeled Cooler for $40.00. With free shipping, we weren't able to find a better deal on this item. This cooler holds 57 cans, 20 lb of ice, and features a handle, drain, wheels, and more.

Buy.com has six cans of compressed air for $13.64. With free shipping, that's just over $2 per can and well below the price for single cans in most stores. Use compressed air to keep your computers and electronics clean. It's also safe for the environment.

deepDiscount.com has a selection of DVD movie 50-packs for $18.35 each. With free shipping, that’s the lowest total price we could find for collections of this size. Titles for sale include a 12 disk SciFi Classics collection, a 12 disk comedy kings collection, and a 12 disk classic musicals megapack. Use this link to check out the rest of these sale items.

You can now have access to content from Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic with both the simple and advanced versions of the NLS digital talking book player, among many other daisy players. An active account with rfb&d and access to their audioPlus downloads book format is required in order to obtain this copyrighted material. Keep in mind that RFB&D now offers free accounts to any legally blind person in the U.S.. In order to authorize a player, log into rfb&d. Then go to my account. Next, go to authorize a daisy player, which is listed under other options. Then select the player model. On the next page, enter the player’s serial number to obtain the user key. Download the file with the key in it; unzip it to the flash drive or SD card, whichever your player uses, and load the file onto your player. Happy reading!

Buy.com has the SanDisk Cruzer 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $8.95 with free shipping. That’s a savings of $24.04. This USB 2.0 drive is compatible with computers, many notetakers, portable media players, and other devices.

Amazon.com offers a set of knives with the Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker and Classic Knife Combo for $17.45. This is currently the lowest total price we could find. Shipping adds $5.58 or spend $25 or more to get free shipping. The Tinker can handle almost any situation that comes your way with six tools and 12 features including a large blade, a small blade, Phillips screwdriver, can opener, a small screwdriver for Phillips screws, a bottle opener, a large screwdriver, wire stripper, reamer, key ring, tweezers, and a toothpick. The other half of the combo is the classic knife, which also has a blade, a nail file, screwdriver, scissors, key ring, tweezers, and toothpick.

meritLine.com has a 3.5mm Male to 3.5mm Female Audio Cable Splitter for $1.29 with free shipping. Coupon code "MLCK401042081777AL1" cuts the price to $0.29. This cable can be used to share audio from one stereo jack between two pairs of headphones. Coupon expires after 800 redemptions.

Amazon.com has the Western Digital WD Elements 2 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive for $119.99. Use coupon code "GXTPOFES" to cut the price down to $107.99. With free shipping, we weren't able to find a better deal on this drive.

Freedom Scientific has released version 9 of its popular OpenBook scanning and OCR software for Windows PCs. In addition to the anticipated support for the new PEARL video camera, the new release also will allow for the camera to act as a video magnifier with zooming capabilities. OpenBook borrows a feature from popular mainstream applications such as OmniPage, enabling the ability to create scanning workflows for common tasks. OpenBook 9 includes RealSpeak™ Solo Direct synthesizers from Nuance® Communications, the same ones available for JAWS and MAGic users. The JAWS ILM licensing scheme has also made its way into OpenBook 9. For a complete list including many more changes, check the link on this post.

Traveleyes is a service which specializes in vacations and unique experiences taylored to blind and visually impaired travelers. The trips include sighted companions to describe many of the sights during the trip. Due to a last minute cancelation, a spot is available on an upcoming two week trip to Peru at a discounted price. The trip leaves on September 14 and returns on the 28th and includes many tours and sight-seeing opportunities. Visit the awe-inspiring Machu Picchu, the floating Uros Islands of Lake Titicaca and discover this fascinating ancient land of the Inca. The cost is $1,795 which includes accomidations, about half of your meals, and travel within Peru. International flights to Lima is extra. To get this special or see the complete itinerary, follow the link on this post and use the contact us link.

Amidst speculation of the future of the Oratio screen reader for Blackberry phones, we checked in with Humanware's Michel Pepin to get a status report on current and future developments. While support for current devices running version 5 may be lagging, we are told that version 6 will be a different story, fueled in part by a partnership between Humanware and Research in Motion. Read more

How does an additional $1,000 a month sound? Money Crashers thinks it may help you out, and offers up 7 ideas you could use to start earning extra income.

On April 12, 2010, J.J. Meddaugh was a guest on Accessible World's Tek Talk program, presenting A Look at BCScan, the A T Guys bar code solution for computers, netbooks, and notetakers. In case you missed it, it's available as a downloadable MP3 using the link on this post.

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.

According to several sources, Humanware is planning to raise the price for two of their popular notetakers in September. the 32-cell version of the BrailleNote Apex will list for $6,379, a $184 increase over the current price. That's nearly $400 over the price of a Braille Sense Plus and just under $800 over the retail price of a PAC Mate Omni, the latter including 8 more cells.At the same time, the price of the 18-cell version of the Apex will jump to $4,529, a $134 increase. Finally, the price of the VoiceNote Apex, to be released in September, has been set at $2,049. That's just over $50 more than the price of a VoiceSense, but nearly $350 under the price of a PAC Mate Omni without a braille display.

Amazon.com has 10 pounds of Albanese Gummy Bears for $15.13. To get this price, sign up for Subscribe and Save to save an additional 15 percent. You can cancel after you place your order to avoid future shipments, unless you want 10 pounts of gummy bears at your door every month or two. The assortment includes 12 flavors and gains very high reviews, despite them being labeled as fat free.

Walmart.com has the Skywalker 15-Foot Round Trampoline with Safety Enclosure for $275.00. With free shipping, we weren't able to find a better deal on this item. This trampoline features 84 galvanized oversized springs, Stay-Put safety enclosure, weight capacity of 250 lbs., and more.

Dell Small Business has the Western Digital 1.5TB Elements External USB 2.0 Hard Drive, in black for $79.99. With free shipping, we weren't able to find a better deal on this particular drive. Sales tax is added in some areas. Note: If you do not own a business, simply put your name again under the company name field, as it is required.

We've obtained some more information in relation to the Freedom Scientific lawsuit vs. the Foundation for Blind Children we posted about earlier. The lawsuit references various exhibits which are aledgedly violating trademarks held by Freedom Scientific. Here is one such exhibit, which appears to be 30 pages of advertisements for Freedom Scientific products from the foundation's website. These pages are no longer on the site.

Freedom Scientific has filed two additional lawsuits over the past month. In one suit, they aledge the Foundation for Blind Children, an Arizona nonprofit who was formerly a dealer, is using trademarks without authorization and after their contract was terminated. The organization operates a store which sells technology products, but no products from Freedom Scientific were found in the store as of the time of this post. In a separate proceeding, Freedom Scientific is seeking financial remedies from the U.S. Government in regards to a contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs. We've procured the full text of both of these cases and have linked them below for your convenience. Be sure to post your thoughts in the comments. Freedom Scientific vs. United States of America
Freedom Scientific vs. the Foundation for Blind Children

MacMall.com is taking preorders for the Apple Magic Trackpad for $65.99. With free shipping, it's the lowest price we could find for this recently-released item, which should ship in a few days. It's at the Apple Store for $69 shipping in 2-4 days, if you're less patient. This input device allows you to control your Mac using gestures, similar to the trackpad on a MacBook. Connect it wireless via Bluetooth to a Mac Mini, MacBook, iMac, or other Apple hardware. It's also compatible with VoiceOver, according to this post from the Blind Access Journal.

Dell Small Business has the unlocked Nokia N97 Mini smartphone for $319.99. Use coupon code "$?14TMBX19F8M3" brings the price down to $279.99. This smaller version of the N97 features 8GB of memory, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, GPS, WiFi, bluetooth, 3G data, 7 hours of battery life, and more. The N97 Mini is compatible with both Mobile Speak and Talks. Deal ends August 11.

Each month ChristianAudio, an online bookseller featuring audio recordings of Christian audiobook titles, offers a free book download. Books are available in various formats and often include MP3, such as this month's title, Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road. Look for instructions on the page we've linked to for a coupon code to get the book for free. Thanks to @turtlecatpurrz on Twitter for the tip.

Apparently it just isn't enough to eat bacon with every meal. The folks over at Perpetual Kids feel you should also clean your teeth with it. Thus, they offer 80 Bacon Flavored Toothpicks for $1.99 plus about $6 for shipping. They come in a tin and will help you experience even more bacony goodness.

Newegg.com has the HITACHI Travelstar 500GB Internal Notebook Hard Drive -for $59.99. With about a buck for shipping, it's the cheapest drive in this class we've seen. Compatible with most modern laptops, this SATA drive runs at the faster 7200 rpm speed. It's also one of the best-rated 500GB laptop drives on the market.

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.

Feeling romantic? Amazon.com has a free music sampler featuring music from the romantic era. The 37-minute X5 Free Classical Sampler includes such classics as Ave Maria, The Seasons, and three others, all in glorious DRM-free MP3 format. No expiraiton date is given, but these freebies usually don't last long.

Buy.com has the Kingston 8GB DataTraveler USB flash drive for $12.95. With free shipping, this is one of the least-expensive 8GB flash drives we've seen. The drive is available in several colors and features a five-year warranty.

MeritLine.com has a Dual USB Car Charger adapter for $3.99, with free shipping. use coupon "MLCK259418080265NL1" to drop the price to $1.29. This adapter can be used to charge two devices via USB simultaneously from one cigarette-lighter outlet. This is just the adapter, USB cables are not included.

With all of the talk of the new DM series of digital recorders from Olympus, we thought we'd post an in-depth review of the DM-2 and DM-4. Listen in as Pat Ferguson compares and contrasts the two models and talks about what is and is not included with the initial release. Via Blind Cool Tech

A buried provision the Higher Education Opportunity Act may help blind and visually impaired students obtain accessible copies of textbooks on time. That's because the law requires colleges and universities to list the required textbooks for a class at the time of registration. The provision went into effect earlier this year, and may save students from scurrying around at the last minute in order to find a copy of a book, much less an accessible version. If you have access to a college registration system, let us know how or if your school is complying with the law in the comments. Via USA Today

Family Board Games via Amazon.com has the classic game of Shut-The-Box for $19.99. Shipping is free on $25 or more. This is the classic dice game and is playable by blind and sighted people alike, as the tiles are just numbers from 1 through 9 in a row.

VideoDirect.com has the Olympus DM-4 Digital Voice Recorder for $269.99. With free shipping, it's $40 off our last mention and the lowest price we've seen for this new 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.

The NFB's Assistive Technology Team has posted audio from two of its sessions during the recent convention in Dallas. During the Apple session, participants gained hands-on experience with several products including iPods and Macbooks. Later, eBay described some of the improvements they are making to increase accessibility to their website and services. Check the link to download either or both of these recordings.