all categories Deals, Sales, and News

GW Micro has released their schedule of events for the CSUN conference in Los Angeles. Sessions on March 13 and 14 include Window-Eyes scripting, the SenseNav GPS, the portable SenseView, among others. The announcement also hints at some new products and enhancements.

The CSUN pre-press has definitely started to roll. Freedom Scientific is giving a huge push to their low vision products including offering CSUN attendees a free MAGic version 11 trial that will work until August. Other sessions for the Pac-Mate Omni, magnification aids, and a happy hour are also announced in this press release. We're unsure if those not attending the conference can obtain the MAGic trial.

First it was Sendero GPS for the BrailleNote. Then, Sendero reached out to the Voice Sense by GW Micro and hinted of more GPS partnerships to come. Now, Code Factory will become the third technology company to bring Sendero's award-winning GPS products to a new device, this time to the Windows Mobile platform. More details about this and other Code Factory releases wil presumably be available during CSUN next week.

Future Forms still offers coupons good for discounts on braille paper by filling out an online form. At last check, this included a coupon good for $5 off your order, which would make many of their prices for a box of paper at the lowest price we could find.

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.

The folks over at 7-128 Software created a special St. Patrick's Day game book with five accessible games, just for our readers. How cool is that? Play "Inspector Cyndi in Newport - When Irish Spies are Smiling." You're a Detective in Newport in the 1890's. Who stole Mr. Holland's experimental submarine? Why are Father McNamara's parishioners so diligent? And just who are General Demonics? Inspector Cyndi can help as you question Phineus the Fiendish Fenian and other Newport citizens to find out and solve this crime.

Play Kim's Game, from Rudyard Kipling's book. Can you remember the objects? Can you beat the clock? Can you achieve the 10th level? Can you do it with the Easy button turned off?

Synonyms and Antonyms, is the word game equivalent of slalom skiing.

Play Crambles and Completion, two other simple but addictive word games. All games are self-voicing. Enter coupon code "DUBLIN" and save 20 percent.

In the March specials list for Independent Living Aids, get a tactile map of the Middle East so you can keep track of current events for $5.50. Or, save money on a food storage vacuum sealing system, a pots and pans set, or an AM/FM/TV radio. Check the link on this post for the complete list. Some items tend to sell out fast, though all specials will end March 31.

For a reader, BlindMiceMart.com has a Dressy Lady's Gold Tone Talking Watch for $47.50. With about $7 for shipping, we couldn't find it for less elsewhere. According to the description, "This stunning beaded band with glossy black and pearl-colored beads separated by gold-toned beads sets this talking watch apart. a clear female voice is easy to hear. Voice feedback makes setting this watch a snap. Bold black hands and numbers contrast with white face and gold casing for easy viewing.

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.

Sendero Group offers the Voice Sense PDA bundled with the Sense Nav GPS software for $3,549. Even with $45 for shipping, this is still at least $350 off retail, and the cheapest we were able to find this particular package. The Voice Sense PDA features a 540-MHZ processor, 1GB flash memory, built-in WiFi, bluetooth, and both a CompactFlash and Secure Digital slot. The Sense Nav GPS software, running off the Sendero SDK, is quite similar to the GPS software found on the BrailleNote family of PDA's.

IndependentLiving.com has the Lady's Silver Tone Braille Talking Watch for $54.95. And that $10 off coupon we keep mentioning, 10ws, knocks the price to $44.95. Add about $7 for shipping. According to the description, there are several variants of this combo braille and talking one button watch, including models with and without alarms. Deal ends February 29.

Some sites post the best of other blogs. This aggregator from Blind Planet, however, posts everything from just about any blindness-related blog or feed you could think of, including our own site. New posts show up in real-time, and cover everything from the Desert Skies blog to corporate blogs from major assistive technology companies.

If you're looking to add something cool to your own website, don't forget about our Blind Bargains latest deals feed. With a simple cut and paste of code, you can add the latest five headlines, or some other number you choose, to any page on your site. Plus, it's totally free. Check the link on this post for details. If you add the code, let us know and we may feature your site in an upcoming post.

Independent Living Aids takes $10 off a purchase of $50 or more with coupon code "10WS". It's the best coupon we've seen from this site, which sells primarily blindness and low-vision products. The coupon is only good when placing orders online. Deal ends February 29.

It's no secret why Top Tech Tidbits won a Blind Bargains Access Award for best blindness-related website. This week's issue has tips on everything from Skype call recording to the LevelStar icon and everything in between. Read the latest issue, then subscribe like we do so you don't miss the next one.

If it's any comfort to the Ranger Station blog, you're not the last place to report on the release of OpenBook 8.0. We figured we probably should mention the latest version of Freedom Scientific's scanning and OCR product sooner rather than later. All kidding aside, this upgrade looks pretty packed with features and includes better OCR engines, new speech synthesizers, better keyboard integration with JAWS and MAGic, better support for currency reading, and a laundry list of other improvements. It's $150 for current users to upgrade or $995 for a new copy.

Today only, Supermediastore.com has the A-Data 8GB USB 2.0 flash drive for $24.99. It's shipped free after a $5 mail-in rebate. Unlike memory cards, flash drives, generally speaking, are universally compatible with any device with a USB port for storage, such as a Braille Note or laptop computer.

The Associated Services for the Blind is offering a coupon off $5 off when filling out a short online survey. The site, based in Philadelphia, produces braille books by hundreds of authors and also has several recorded periodicals available.