Computers/Hardware Deals, Sales, and News

An EBay seller has listed an I.D. Mate Omni portable bar code reader for a BuyItNow price of $599.99. Or, make an offer. With shipping, it's less than half the cost of a new unit. This is En-Vision America's latest portable bar code solution. Listing ends March 24 if not sold sooner. Update: This item has sold.

For the second consecutive year, Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind, a Michigan-based nonprofit providing outdoor recreational programs for blind youth, and Leader Dogs for the Blind are teaming up to give away several Trekker GPS units. Applicants, who must be between 16-19, must submit an application including an essay and, if selected, attend a Trekker Camp where they will learn to utilize their new device. The deadline is March 31.

Be sure to keep checking our new Swap Meet for great deals on used equipment. RonnyMillsapFan is selling a Pac-Mate TNS for only $200, among other things. Posting ads and replying to others on the swap meet is totally free.

GW Micro has released a free upgrade for both the Voice Sense and their SenseNav GPS product. It's available as a download from the link on this post, or it can be downloaded directly to the unit if a wireless connection is available. It includes better powersaving options, more control over Windows Media files, and faster navigation of webpages among many other enhancements. The GPS upgrade includes the ability to create a route directly from the list of points of interest, and more options for controling what information is spoken. A complete list of changes is available and is too numerous to mention here.

An EBay seller has listed a Braille Blazer embosser in good condition which you could buy now for $159.99 plus about $35 for shipping. That's one of the better deals we've seen for a used braille printer in recent months, assuming it lives up to the advertised condition. Listing ends March 2 if not sold sooner.

If you're looking to sell your own personal used equipment, try our new forums. Beth just listed several items including a Powerbraille braille display, a BrailleNote 32-cell unit, and several books from National Braille Press. Registering and posting in our forums is free, and you can post your items for sale or trade in the Swap Meet.. Who knows, we may feature your post on the home page.

There's another batch of I.D. Mate II portable bar code readers on EBay, again for $450 plus $25 for shipping. Or, use EBay's best offer feature and see if they'll take a bit less. They're actually sold by En-Vision America, makers of the handheld item identification devices. Listing ends February 20.

An EBay seller has listed a used Braille Blazer embosser for $99. Add about $14 for shipping. Not much is said about the printer, but you could ask the seller questions to find out more and perhaps get a steal of a deal. Auction ends early on February 13.

An Ebay seller has listed a tested Freedom Scientific Blazer Inferno braille embosser with a starting bid of $99.95. This was the upgrade model to the Braille Blazer which prints at up to 50 characters per second. It also prints on wider 11.5 inch paper and weighs 17 pounds. The unit powers on, talks, and feeds paper though no further testing was done, according to the listing. Auction ends early on February 6.

Amazon.com has the Socket P500 compact flash 802.11G wireless card for $85.99. With free shipping, we couldn't find this particular card for less elsewhere. This card works, among other places, in the new Pac Mate Omni which includes built-in drivers.
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An EBay seller has listed a Humanware Braille Window refreshable braille display with a starting bid of $74.99. Add about $15 for shipping. This display is being sold as is without a power supply, but may be worth the gamble for the price.

Lenovo has announced a partnership with the newly-formed AIR Foundation, the same nonprofit that announced a free web-based screen reader a day earlier. The partnership will allow for Lenovo ThinkPad laptops and ThinkCenter desktops to include access software, namely Serotek's System Access screen reader. We'll have more on this in an audio interview with Serotek CEO Mike Calvo later this weekend.

According to a press release, a new groundbreaking product, assumably the previously mentioned KNFB Mobile, will be demonstrated at a press conference in Washington, DC on Monday, January 28 at 10 A.M. Ray Kurzweil will be on hand to introduce the new device which was previously leaked in this year's ATIA program. We'll be on hand and report our findings.

The 2008 program for the ATIA conference has been released, and buried deep inside the exhibitor list is an announcement of an apparent new upgrade to the K-NFB Reader.
"K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. will present the knfbReader Mobile, the latest generation of portable reading technology. Following the success of the popular K-NFB Reader, the revolutionary knfbReader Mobile contains groundbreaking software advancements that provide more accurate print analysis and TTS on a truly hand-held device. We don't have any more details, but will be certain to report more as we learn about it. Stay with Blind Bargains for as it happens ATIA coverage.

Fed up with Windows? Buy.com has an Apple Mac Mini for $549.99. Plus, shipping is free. It sports an Intel Duo Core 1.8ghz processor, 80GB hard drive and 1GB memory,. The Macintosh comes with screen reading software so will talk practically out of the box.

    An Ebay seller has listed 10 I.D. Mate II Portable Bar Code Readers with a BuyItNow price of $450 each. Even with about $15 for shipping, this is roughly $1,000 off the price of a new unit. The I.D. Mate II contains bar code information for over 1.3 million products and features an omnidirectional scanner. 100 bar code labels for marking your own items without codes are also included as well as a 90-day warranty. Item expires January 21. Update: We believe these to be direct from the company, as the location of the auction is Normal, Illinois, the same as En-Vision America.

An EBay seller has listed a like-new KNFB Reader with a starting bid of $1,650. Or, BuyItNow without bidding for $1,795. That's close to $1,000 off retail for this pocket-sized reading machine. All KNFB readers are still under warranty and can be upgraded to the latest firmware which reads a wider variety of print material. Auction ends January 11 unless sold sooner.

It's not often we see an Ohtsuki Braille Embosser on EBay like this one, currently at $107.50. This machine was quite a bit ahead of its time and one of the first machines to produce both print and braille, a tremendous feat for the 1980's. It's being sold as is and shipping is $65. Auction ends January 12.

Independent Living Aids has the Jot-a-Dot Pocket Brailler for $275. That's $70 off list and the lowest price we've seen for this writing tool. It allows you to write braille notes up to 20 cells per line on index cards, 4 by 6 paper, or other small-form sizes. Flip over part of the unit to read what you just wrote, and take this portable notetaker with you on the go. Deal ends January 31.

An EBay seller has listed a working Vera Reading Machine with a starting bid of $199. Made by Freedom Scientific, this device originally sold for $3,000 and is a stand-alone reading machine. Auction ends January 4.