Computers/Hardware Deals, Sales, and News

The Telex Scholar DAISY CD player is available for $125.33 from an Ebay store. We are unsure of how many are available at this price. With free shipping, that's over $100 off retail and the lowest price we could find. The Telex Scholar is a portable DAISY Player that detects s and plays digitally accessible CDs, MP3 and consumer CDs.

Ace Digital Club via Amazon.com has the brand new Olympus DS-30 Digital Voice Recorder for $125.09. With about $8 for shipping, that's $25 off retail and the lowest price we could find. This unit records at up to 44.1kHz and is billed as Olympus's most accessible digital recorder. It also includes a detachable stereo microphone, noise cancelation, and automatic downloading of Podcasts.

Good at fixing things? You could buy this APH Handi-Cassette II four-track cassette recorder off Ebay and have yourself a cheap audio book machine. Starting bid is $5.99. The seller says the item looks new, but does not mention what's wrong with the unit. Auction ends January 25.

An Ebay seller has listed an Optacon reading aid, model RIB, with a starting bid of $49.95. A carrying case is also included. Like most blindness items on Ebay the model is sold as is, but it does power on. Auction ends January 26.

Buy.com has the Delphi MyFi Portable XM2Go receiver for $86.95. With about $7 for shipping, we couldn't find this receiver for less elsewhere. This portable XM unit comes with home and vehicle kits, antenna, and several other accessories. Subscription to XM Satellite Radio is required.

Ecost.com has a 1GB MP3 player and voice recorder for $4 after a $25 mail-in rebate. Add about $9 for shipping. From the description: This Skip-Free MP3 Player Delivers Great Sound in a Sleek Design for Mobility. It also Doubles as a Digital Voice Recorder & USB Portable Storage Drive. Rebate ends December 31.

Geeks.com offers $1.99 shipping on your entire order of $99 or more with coupon code SHIP4LESS. It's the best shipping coupon we've seen from Geeks since our site has launched. Some items are excluded. Geeks.com sells discount computer products. Coupon ends January 16.

Currently on Ebay, a seller has posted a PowerBraille 40, advertised as working, with a current bid of $77.77. The unit was recently serviced. Of note, the seller offers to ship this item free matter for the blind, though I wouldn't recommend doing this for such a big ticket item. Regular shipping is also available. Auction ends January 13.

We get a lot of questions on where to find the cheapest notebooks. One place to try is Dell Financial Services. DFS sells what they call premium-grade refurbished notebooks. The prices are quite good when compared to the similar retail models, with some nice configurations for under $500. Stock changes quite often, so check back if you don't find what you're looking for.

With all of this talk of the Oqo, we did a check of Ebay and found several listings for under $1,000. Used models are even less. Use the link in this post for a custom search. The Oqo is an ultraportable PC weighing less than a pound.

Oqo has released details of its forthcoming model 02, the replacement to the highly-successful Oqo 01+ ultraportable computer. The 01+ was used for GW Micro's SmallTalk Ultra. Depending on the configuration ordered, The new model features a 1.2 to 1.5GHZ CPU, up to a 60GB hard drive, and 1GB of memory. Prices start at $1,499, which undercuts Sony's ultraportable PC offering. As we find deals for this new computer, we'll post them here.

Currently on Ebay, a seller has listed an APH tabletop 4-track cassette player/recorder with a current bid of $20.00. The battery has been removed, but the seller says that the item appears to work properly. Read the item description carefully before bidding. Auction ends January 8.

Currently on Ebay, a seller has listed a Thiel Braille Embosser, the Beta X3, with a starting bid of $10. The catch? The item is available for pick-up only from the New York School for the Blind. Still, if you can arrange transportation to New York, even a flight, it may be worth doing as this embosser prints at 150 characters per second and was top-of-the-line for its time. That's assuming it works, of course. Auction ends January 12.

Buy.com has the Acer Aspire AS3050-1594 Notebook, which includes a 1.8GHz Sempron processor, 512MB DDR2 memory, 40GB hard drive, DVD/CDRW drive,
Windows XP Media Center edition, and 14.1" display for $499.99. With free shipping, that's a $59 drop from our mention earlier this week and one of the best budget laptop deals we've seen recently..
Add a two year warranty for $110. Update: This item is no longer available.

Buy.com has the Acer Aspire AS3050-1594 Notebook, which includes a 1.8GHz Sempron processor, 512MB DDR2 memory, 40GB hard drive, DVD/CDRW drive,
Windows XP Media Center edition, and 14.1" display for $558.75. With free shipping, we couldn't find this particular laptop for less elsewhere. Add a two year warranty for $110.

A seller has listed a Romeo RB40 braille embosser on Ebay for a starting bid of $299.99 plus $65 for shipping. This is one of the better deals we've seen for an embosser on Ebay that is advertised as working. This model is from the early 90s and prints single-sided braille at up to 40 characters per second. And for the history buffs, they're including a copy of Duxbury on 5 and a quarter inch floppies. Auction ends January 3.

We've expanded our search for CCTV's on Ebay at the Auction Gateway. Currently, there's 9 of them listed including a newer Sense View and several Telesensory models. Use the link on this post to view them.

A seller has listed a used Optacon on Ebay with a current bid of $36. The item is advertised as having a battery that won't hold a charge, but this unit may be repairable. Read the auction closely before making a decision. Auction ends the morning of December 29.

Amazon.com has the Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P Micro PC for $1,699.99. Now, take an additional $100 off for a price of $1,599.99. With free shipping, it's the lowest price we could find for this ultraportable computer. This computer is similar in size to the OQO and is more powerful, with an Intel Core Solo 1.2GHZ processor, 40GB hard drive, 1GB memory, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, USB 2.0, speaker, and support for Cingular's broadband network. Use a docking cable to plug in other devices. Rebate ends January 16.

Amazon.com has the Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P Micro PC for $1,699.99. With free shipping, it's the lowest price we could find for this ultraportable computer. This computer is similar in size to the OQO and is more powerful, with an Intel Core Solo 1.2GHZ processor, 40GB hard drive, 1GB memory, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, USB 2.0, speaker, and support for Cingular's broadband network. Use a docking cable to plug in other devices. Of note, a mail-in rebate cuts an additional $100 off the price, though you must order by December 19 to get it.