All Deals

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.

At this point, in order to provide gene therapy for eye conditions affecting the retina, doctors have to insert the genes behind the retina because there are no viruses that are strong enough to get to all of the photo receptor cells that will need fixing. This procedure can be very dangerous. This may soon no longer be a concern though. A team of researchers at UC Berkley have created a virus that will effectively deliver the virus to the photo receptor cells and the needle does not have to go to the back of the eye. This will likely make the therapy more effective. Human trials are in the works. Via UC Berkeley

Amazon has been offering fresh groceries in the Seattle area for a couple of years which is great for Seattle and no one else. Since prime memberships have increased significantly over the past few years, Amazon is going to try out a new version of prime in Los Angeles. For $299 a year, Amazon will provide free delivery of fresh groceries as long as your order is over $35. Imagine never having to go grocery shopping again and having the power of Amazon at the same time. Via Time Business

We have known for quite some time that twitter was going to change it's API and potentially make many twitter clients no longer work. As of June 11th, Easy Chirp and the Qube no longer are working. Q-Continuum, the developer of Hope the accessible Pandora and Q-read has come out with a new twitter client called Chicken Nugget. This link will take you to a dropbox page where you can download the file. The app is still in beta.

AI Squared has announced that the newest version of Zoomtext, version 10.8, is now available. For all current users of Zoomtext 10, this is a free upgrade. Some of the changes include: improved reading support for Outlook 2010, great improvements in Excel 2007 and 2010, and better support of IE 8 and Firefox. Depending on your settings, the update may happen automatically or you can select update in the menu.

VOStarter, the first app to offer training on the VoiceOver screen-reader for iOS has just been released to the app store. Developed by Michael Doise, VO Starter offers tips and hints navigating various iOS elements such as buttons, text fields, tabs and more. It also allows one to practice interacting with these different controls. VO Starter is currently free for a limited time.

HumanWare has released the HumanWare Communicator, an app designed to allow a sighted person to comunicate to a deaf blind individual using an iOS device and a braille display. The deaf blind individual writes messages on the bluetooth braille display, and the sighted person is able to respond using the touch keyboard. All interaction appears both on
the deaf-blind person’s refreshable Braille display, as well as visually on the screen of the iOS device. The HumanWare Comunicator app costs $99.99, and is available now from the iTunes app store.

Here's a nice deal to go along with the savings we posted on Jeans from Kohl's.

Kohl's is now offering 20 to 40 percent Off Select Athletic Shoes for the entire Family. Click the link on this site to browse the deals that end on July 28.

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.

Independent Living Aids is offering some great deals on telephones during its Mother's Day Sale with some items shipping for free! Two items of note include:

Braille Speakerphone with Large Numbers, SALE PRICE: $26.40. The large numbers on the keypad of this phone are raised, and have accompanying symbols in Braille.

JV35 Amplified Phone with Jumbo Buttons & Braille, SALE PRICE: $111.95 with free shipping. An outstanding telephone that satisfies the needs of both the hearing and visually impaired. Buttons are High contrast with Braille and voice announcement of each number as it is dialed.

aisquared.com offers 10% savings during their Spring Sale. Use coupon code "SPRING" to get the deal either online or when you call 800-859-0270.

This code is good on anything they sell: there's ZoomText (new products and upgrades), the ZoomText Large-Print Keyboard, the two brand new ZoomText Camera packages, the i-loview handheld video magnifier and ZoomText Express. Deal ends April 30.

independent living aids offers EARTH DAY SAVINGS up to 20% off during its Weekend Warrior Specials sale! Items include:

Aquamaster Indoor/Outdoor Waterproof Clock, SALE PRICE: $51.95

Braille Tactile Map of USA with List of State Capitals, SALE PRICE: $15.25

Braille Tactile World Map and 5 Continent Maps, SALE PRICE: $29.95

Braille Talking USA Jig Saw Puzzle, SALE PRICE: $18.95

Deluxe Talking Pedometer, SALE PRICE: $7.95

Sears.com has the TG Roll-out Instant Pathway for $34.99 plus shipping.

Simply roll out the path wherever you need it and re-roll when your task is done. Cleans easily with a garden hose. Easy to use, easy to move and easy to store. Imagine creating a path that someone who is blind could follow to get to a specific location outdoors. Maybe a swing or pool far from the home.

Product Features:

Durable Plastic Construction
35 Tiles
105 ConnectorsExpandable and Compatible with Additional Roll-Out Instant Pathways
Rolls
Up for Easy Storage and Transport
Dimensions (Unrolled): 9' 11" x 11.75" x .75"
Dimensions (Rolled): 11.75" x 11.5" x 12.5

eBay seller missourijack2 has a Perkins Brailler starting at $240. Or Buy it now for $265.00.
Shipping adds $20.00.

From the eBay listing: Perkins Brailler in great working condition. Everything works on this machine, it Brailles fine, the back-space key works fine, paper rolls into machine with no problems. This machine has a flaw in the paint on the top of the machine. It looks as if something was set on the paint at the factory before the paint dried. There is a hexigon pattern in the paint. It does not effect the function of the Brailler in any way, so if you don't care about a flaw in the paint, you can buy this fully functional Brailler at a great price. Listing ends April 4 if not sold sooner.

I get requests for this product all the time. If you're needing a simple way to mail a package, Independent Living Aids has Free Matter For The Blind Peel-Off Stick-On Labels for $2.95 plus shipping.

No stamping, no ink, just peel a label from the sheet and put it on your letter. The label measures .75" x 2.25" and fits nicely in the area where the postage stamp is usually placed. 30 labels are printed on each of the three sheets.

BrailleBooks.com via eBay has a Full Page Braille Slate for $19.95. Plus, shipping is free.
This Full Page Braille Writing Slate, featuring 25 lines with 28 cells each, allows you to Braille a full standard 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper at one time without having to move the slate.
In addition, it was specially designed to offer the option of writing on strips of paper or plastic foil (for use in labeling items.) It is made of durable black shock-resistant plastic and consists of two plates a lower groove plate and an upper cell plate, in between which a sheet of paper is placed for Braille writing. Lightweight and easily transportable in a backpack or briefcase. Slate measures 8 3/4 x 12.

Sears.com has the Braille Steel Tape Measure - 25 Foot (132*20) for $25.95 plus shipping.

Each foot of this tape measure is brailled and each 6 inch is marked with single raised dots on the lower edge. 6 inch white rigid plastic tactually marked extension helps stabilize ruler for longer measurements. Flexible steel ruler with push-button blade return and lock.

Q Software Solutions, the developers of the Hope Accessible Pandora Client, have just released QRead, a fully accessible E-reding program for Windows. QRead offers fast and efficient access to several popular e-book formats, allows for an unlimited number of bookmarks, and interfaces directly with all major screen-reading software. We'll be posting a review of this program in the coming days. QRead can be purchased at an introductory price of $20. Click on the link to get more information, or head on past the break for the full press-release.

Hims has released version 6.2 for their brailleSense and VoiceSense line of Notetakers. This version adds support for content from the national Library Service, the ability to read and write Spanish documents, and support for the optional “Sense Dictionary”. Version 6.2 is a free upgrade, and is available now from the link on this post. Thanks to Rich Cavallaro for the tip.

Humanware has released Keysoft version 9.2 for the BrailleNote Apex. This update adds the ability to convert PDF documents so they may be edited in KeyWord, and natively read in the Book Reader. This upgade also adds enhanced braille display support for the QT model, as well as improved file downloads. Version 9.2 counts as an SMA upgrade, and costs $129 for customers who do not curretnly have an SMA count.