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The term "haptic"" is often associated with vibratory feedback, but in reality, it's a more general word that simply relates to the sense of touch. Adam Spiers, a post-doc associate at the Yale University robotics lab, has created a new GPS device with this notion in mind, called the Haptic Sandwich. While other related gadgets indicate direction by various vibration patterns, the top half of the Haptic Sandwich actually twists to indicate the direction of travel needed to reach a destination. Among the possible applications for the device is aiding sighted and visually impaired hikers by guiding them using an unobtrusive device. You can read more from the original article at Enginneering.com

Another middle school student is working to develop a solution to help blind and visually impaired students. Seventh grader Hari Bhimaraju of Cupertino, Calif. has developed a tool to help blind and visually impaired students learn more about chemical elements including their atomic structure. She is one of 30 nationwide finalists in the Broadcom Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering Rising Stars (MASTERS) competition which will be held October 2-6. She explains the tool in a recent article in the Marin Independent Journal.

"It's a tool which helps you learn about the elements in the periodic table. So you enter in an atomic number or a chemical symbol or a chemical name, then it will provide you with all these results," she said. "With that, it will draw the atom and then step by step while writing the electron configuration so that you can understand what part of the atom is what."

Winning the competition will net Bhimaraju $25,000. The Computer History Museum in Mountain View will host a public exhibition of the project's finalists on October 3.

According to the Broadcom MASTERS website, "Science fairs around the country nominate the top 10% of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students to enter this prestigious competition. After submitting the online application,
300 semifinalists
are selected and
30 finalists
present their research projects and compete in team hands-on STEM challenges to demonstrate their skills."

C-fes Co. Ltd. has released an iOS app which allows for the direct reading of braille files using speech. The $14.99 Voice Braille Reader reads .BRL and .BRF files, such as those downloaded from the NLS BARD service or BookShare. It can also import files from Dropbox, Evernote, iCloud, and other applications. It also supports adjustable reading speed, a synchronized display with the braille that is currently being spoken, and reading of braille inside .ZIP files. If you wish to try out the app before you buy, you can get Voice Braille Reader Lite which allows for up to five minutes of reading per day. Hat tip to David Goldfield for the discovery.

More companies are bridging the gap between desktop CCTV's and portable video magnifiers. Optelec has introduced the Traveler HD a portable video magnifier with a 13-inch screen. Weighing 4.5 pounds, it magnifies from 2.4X to 30X and also can store up to 1,000 images for later viewing. Optelec includes what it calls a Slide and Read mechanism which acts similarly to the X-Y table found on desktop models. It runs for 3 hours on a single charge and retails for $2,495.
You can learn more about the latest from Optelec from our NFB convention interview with Optelec from Joe Steinkamp.

1800flowers. com offers Summer Flowers and Gifts Starting at $29.99 plus shipping. Choose from a wide variety of gift ideas that will surely bring a smile to someone you love. This deal ends on September 30.

Have you ever had problems holding a toothbrush, or squeezing the toothpaste in the correct direction? Some enterprising inventors from China have tackled this supposed problem with a special toothbrush for the blind. It includes guides to ensure that a blind person is correctly applying toothpaste to the toothbrush, and the toothbrush is facing in the correct direction.

Here's the patent abstract, translated from Chinese, courtesy of Google:

The utility model discloses a special toothbrush for the blind. The special toothbrush comprises a toothbrush wall and a toothbrush head. The toothbrush wall is provided with a braille holding area, and the toothbrush head is provided with a braille toothpaste squeezing area. The special toothbrush is reasonable in structure, is specially used for tooth brushing by the blind and guarantees that the blind hold the toothbrush to enable the toothbrush head to be opposite to themselves so as to squeeze the toothpaste; and the blind are simultaneously reminded of squeezing the toothpaste in a right area.

You can read the complete patent here. Thanks to Ka for the tip.

Microsoft Store offers 2.7-lb. Asus Zenbook Signature Edition Intel Broadwell Core M 800MHz 13.3 Inch 1080p Laptop in Obsidian Stone, model no. UX305FA-USM1, for $699. Coupon code "SAVE100" drops it to $599. With free shipping, that's the lowest total price we've seen for an Asus Zenbook with this configuration. (It's also a current low by $95.) Features include an Intel Core M-5Y10 800MHz Broadwell dual-core processor, 13.3 inch 1920x1080 (1080p) LED-backlit LCD, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, 3-cell battery, and Windows 10 64-bit.

For qualifying students and faculty, Best Buy offers the Apple MacBook Pro i5 13 Inch Notebook with Retina Display in Silver, model no. MF839LL/A, bundled with Kaspersky Internet Security 3-Device 6-Month Subscription for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android for $1,099.99. Click here and enter a valid .edu email address; you'll receive an email containing a link to a unique code that cuts it to $1,049.99. With free shipping, that's the lowest total price we could find by $99. It features an Intel Core i5 2.7GHz dual-core processor, 13.3 inch 2560x1600 Retina display, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Intel Iris graphics, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, FaceTime HD camera, USB 3.0, HDMI output, and Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

Best Buy offers the Apple iPad mini 3 64GB WiFi Tablet in Space Gray, model no. MGGQ2LL/A, Silver, model no. MGGT2LL/A, or Gold, model no. MGY92LL/A, for $349.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we've seen for the mini 3 with 64GB storage. (It's a current low by $49.)

Walmart offers the Hoover Elite Max Capacity Bagless Upright Vacuum, model no. UH72011, for $69 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find by $10. It features a 9-foot cleaning reach, 5-position height adjustment, 25-foot cord length, carbon and HEPA media filter, and ScatterGuard hard floor setting.

Graduate students at the University of Washington are interested in creating tools to benefit computer programmers who use screen readers. They are looking for screen reader users who have graduated with a computer science degree for a short survey. Participants will be compensated with a $5 Amazon gift card and also will give a higher award for participating in a follow-up interview. Check the link on this post for more info or to take the survey.

Amazon offers preorders of the Asus M32CD Intel Skylake Core i5 2.7GHz Desktop PC, model no. M32CD-US003T, for $429.99 with free shipping. That's $120 off list and the lowest total price we could find. Features include an Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Skylake quad-core processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB 7200 rpm hard drive, 802.11ac wireless, DVD burner, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0, and Windows 10. Note that no release date is listed.

Walmart offers the Shark Light & Easy Steam Mop, model no. S3101, for $39. If possible, opt for in-store pickup to avoid the $4.97 shipping fee. That's the lowest price we could find by $11. This 4-lb. mop features a 20-foot power cord and 2 20 inch machine washable microfiber pads.

Hims has released a free update to the BrailleSense line of notetakers with a variety of improvements and changes. Version 8.5 includes an automatic book downloader for titles from the NLS BARD service. In addition, users can now search for text in files globally, and read many file formats in the new document reader. Email set-up is now been streamlined, with automatic account configuration for Google, Yahoo, iCloud, and other providers. A new web radio database includes thousands of Internet radio stations for immediate listening. YouTube videos can now be downloaded. In the calculator, UEB is now supported, and additional conversions are included, such as between binary and decimal.
You can download the latest updates directly from the unit, or from the Hims Resource Center page. The complete release notes are below, and also available in Microsoft Word format.

QualityCellz via eBay offers the Unlocked Amazon Fire 64GB Smartphone bundled with a 1-Year Amazon Prime Membership for $149.99 with free shipping. That's $395 off list and the lowest total price we could find. This accessible GSM phone features a 4.7 inch 1280x720 touchscreen LCD, Snapdragon 800 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps, dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio processing, and Fire OS (a heavily-modified version of Android OS). Deal ends September 30. Note: It comes locked to AT&T but includes an unlocking code to use the device with any compatible GSM carrier.

Reloads123 via eBay offers the Duracell Coppertop AA Battery 70-Pack bundled with a Duracell Coppertop AAA Battery 30-Pack for $28.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find for this quantity. Makes a great Christmas present for anyone with kids.

Campus111 via eBay offers the Irulu eXpro X1a 8GB 7" WiFi Android Tablet bundled with a keyboard case in 31 color combinations for $39.99 with free shipping. That's $14 under the lowest total price we could find for these items purchased separately. The tablet features an Allwinner A33 Cortex A7 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 7 inch 1024x600 touchscreen display, 8GB internal memory, 802.11n wireless, 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 2-megapixel rear camera, and Android 4.4.2 OS (Kit Kat).

Amazon offers Prime members the PNY 16GB Elite Performance Class 10 Secure Digital High-Capacity Memory Card (pictured), model no. P-SDH16U1H-GE, for $8.99 with free shipping. (Non-members can spend $35 to qualify for free shipping; otherwise, it adds $8.) That's the lowest total price we could find. It features read speeds of up to 30MB/s and write speeds up to 35MB/s.

QuickShipElectronics via eBay offers the Apple Watch 38mm Sport Smartwatch in five colors for $329.99 with free shipping. That's $19 under Apple's direct price, and the best discount we've seen on the Apple Watch. This accessible device features an aluminum case, Ion-X glass display, heart rate sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, speaker, 802.11n wireless, and Bluetooth 4.0.

1800flowers. com offers Savings of up to 40percent on Summer Flowers and Gifts. No coupon code is needed to get this deal that ends on September 30.