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It's been a little more than a week since we last dove into the whirlpool of Apple news and events. And you would think, with pre orders for the Apple Watch still weeks away, it would have been quiet during that time. Well, um, not so much it seems.

I love finding a bargain. Who doesn’t? If you shop wisely, you don’t have to break the bank to feel and look marvelous!! Before I go on, let me tell you the difference between cheap and Inexpensive clothes. To me, cheap clothes are poor quality. They typically fade, shrink, pill up and don't last. However, Inexpensive clothes are good quality clothes that will last. Please don’t be fooled….. There are some designer brands that make cheap clothes. My clothes are relatively Inexpensive. I can't afford to buy cheap clothes.

Yes, I'm one of those people. Leave me a message in my voicemail box and I might check it once or twice a day. Send me an Email message however, and it's quite possible I'll read and reply to you within 5 minutes. I'm definitely not the world's most organized person, and yes, sometimes messages and requests do slip through the cracks. But over time, I've developed a few strategies for managing the pile of messages that end up in my in-box. Here are a few of these.

Hello, my name is Jywanza and I have been blind since the age of 15. I was born and raised in New York City but currently reside in Indianapolis, Indiana. My interests lie in reading, traveling, dining out and I especially love clothes and beauty products and learning about them. I own over 500 tops, over 200 pair of pants, over 90 pairs of shoes, 15 sport jacket/blazers, 8 suits, over 100 pair of socks and underwear and countless beauty products. When I moved from NYC in January 2006, all of my clothes weighed almost 1800 pounds, Yes, almost 1800 pounds..... That's equivalent to moving 6 new-born baby elephants. I always care about what I am wearing and how I look no matter where I am going and always look put together.

It's a post Apple event week and we're going to examine how the Kool Aid buzz wore off faster than expected in the press. So I'm warning everyone upfront that this week's links will be more negative than positive, as the stock market analogy of buying and selling on hype applies to what gets clicks for Apple news stories. Except in the rumor department that is... Pink iPhones anyone? Yeah, that might be a thing now that gold is starting to lose its luster.

Problem:
Weekly rundown needed after CSUN 2015 coverage. Lack of motivation and energy precludes this from happening.
Solution:
Take all those "how to" links and non-time-sensative resource articles, bundle them all up and add a review from Jan Brown. Poof, column achieved!

Let's see... there was the official return of VLC to the iOS app store, iAssociate saw some updates and, oh I know, some small mention of an event in March for news this past week. An event I say? Yeah, nothing major I'm sure considering that we have a launch of a new product in April. I doubt anyone will be covering it really. But, and this is a mighty big but, if you are interested in hearing Tim and co go on and on about time pieces you will want to catch the stream of the event on March 9th at 10 AM PT.

It's time for what has become a bit of an annual tradition around here. Every March when we talk endlessly about CSUN, the largest assistive technology conference for the blind, we hear from people who would love to go, if only it was within their budget. With room rates over $200 a night, a nearly $500 registration fee, plane tickets, meals, and other expenses, the cost often seems prohibitive. With this in mind, we've updated our list of tips for enjoying the conference on a budget.

The Weekly Apple Rundown: Apple Pay It Forward Edition

It is a darn good thing I'm not held to a hard deadline on this series. No really, it is, as putting this week's look at Tim and Jony's exploits into focus was a continuing saga with more happening every day ... y'know, like a little franchise from a galaxy far, far away. More on how that reference fits in this week's stories later on.

This year, many consumers and companies will need to make some tough decisions when it comes to their summer convention planning. For the past several years, the two major consumer organizations, the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind have held their national conventions on separate weeks, a departure from past practices. But this year, likely through sheer coincidence, both conventions are being held the second week of July, posing a particular dilemma for technology companies and the consumers who wish to see their products.

Valentine's day is right around the corner, as in this Saturday. And if you haven't found a gift yet, you better get to it! Looking for a last minute Valentine's day gift to let your sweetheart know just how you feel about them? Satisfy your lover's sweet tooth with some yummy chocolate goodies! Here are our favorite picks of the finest Valentine's day chocolate gifts that can be ordered from Amazon and shipped straight to your door within a matter of days.

Another week and another round of wild rumor and barely sourced speculation awaits you in this week's Rundown. Let us begin with the stories that may, or may not, have anything to do with that strange camera-laden car mentioned last week.

Welcome back everyone to the news that was, and wasn't in some cases, for that little 'ol company that has most of the money on the planet. More on that in a moment.

A new ultraportable braille display was the biggest news at the Hims booth during the recent Assistive Technology Industry Association conference in Orlando. Named the Smart Beetle for its connection options, it can simultaneously connect to up to 6 devices at once, 5 Bluetooth and one USB 2.0. Beetles have 6 legs, thus the use of the nature-inspired name.

Microsoft stole most of the week's news with their announcement of Windows 10, Office 16 and those Holo Lens thingies. However, we still have some interesting reads this week regardless.

CES is over, so that must mean its time for Macworld. Alas, that event is no more but you sure couldn't tell by the amount of news we have in the run down this week.

We've made it to number 1! Thanks for following the top 10 stories of the year in assistive technology, as voted on by our panel: Jeff Bishop, J.J. Meddaugh, Jamie Pauls, Alena Roberts, and Joe Steinkamp. Number 1 was a pretty simple choice for us this year, and we discussed it in detail on the This year in Assistive Technology podcast which you can listen to now. So without delay, the top story of the year.

Those who have been reading our Top Ten lists over the years know that we like to get an idea of what other stories are making news in the general field of Assistive Technology. And who better to ask than a former panelist Mr. Wade Wingler of the INDATA podcast and social media feeds. Take it away Wade!

In the 80s the board game of choice was Trivial Pursuit. And all you needed to play was a dining room table, a board, a six sided die and all these little pie wedges that fit neatly into a six sectioned pie. You rolled a die and answered trivia questions from one of six genres, determined by where you landed with your dye roll. But now it’s 2015 and surely someone has found a way to put all that into your hand, right? Enter Trivia Crack.

It's the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and that means stories from all parts of tech, from currved televisions to wireless connections for your toothbrush of the future -- except from Apple of course. They don't attend CES. However, they always manage to slip into the news cycle either by luck, chance or just plain shrewd countermarketing. Here are just some of the stories that involved the company this week.