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Microsoft Store offers the 4.8-lb. Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro Signature Edition Intel Core i7 2.5GHz 15.6 Inch Laptop, model no. VN7-591G-70JY, for $1,499 with free shipping. That's $300 off list, and the lowest total price we've seen. Features include an Intel Core i7-4710HQ 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 15.6 inch 3840x2160 4K Ultra LED-backlit LCD, 16GB RAM, 1TB hard drive w/ 256GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M 2GB graphics, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, 3-cell battery, Windows 8.1 64-bit.b

Microsoft Store offers the 3.3-lb. Acer Aspire R 13 Signature Edition Intel Haswell Core i7 2GHz 13.3 Inch Laptop, model no. R7-371T-76HR, for $1,099 with free shipping. That's $200 off and the lowest total price we could find. Features include an Intel Core i7-4510U 2GHz Haswell dual-core processor, 13.3 inch 2560x1440 LED-backlit touchscreen LCD, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth, 4-cell battery, and Windows 8.1 64-bit.

Microsoft Store offers the 3.2-lb. Acer Aspire R 13 Signature Edition Intel Haswell Core i5 1.7GHz 13.3 Inch 1080p Touchscreen Laptop, model no. R7-371T-50V5, for $799 with free shipping. That's $100 off list and the lowest total price we've seen. It features an Intel Haswell Core i5-4210U 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 13.3 inch 1920x1080 (1080p) LED-backlit touchscreen LCD, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 720p webcam, 802.11n wireless, USB 3.0, HDMI, 4-cell battery, and Windows 8.1 64-bit.

Best Buy offers the Apple MacBook Air Intel Haswell Core i5 1.4GHz 13.3 Inch LED-Backlit Laptop, model no. MD760LL/B, for $849.99. Plus, qualifying students can sign up to receive a unique coupon code that drops it to $799.99. (A valid .edu email address is required.) With free shipping, that's the lowest total price we could find by $119. It features an Intel Core i5 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 13.3 inch 1440x900 LED-backlit LCD, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, FaceTime camera, Thunderbolt, and Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

As one of its daily deals, Best Buy offers the PNY Turbo Plus 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive, model no. P-FD128TBLE-GE, for $42.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find by $14. Deal ends today.

We've made it to number 1! Thanks for following the top 10 stories of the year in assistive technology, as voted on by our panel: Jeff Bishop, J.J. Meddaugh, Jamie Pauls, Alena Roberts, and Joe Steinkamp. Number 1 was a pretty simple choice for us this year, and we discussed it in detail on the This year in Assistive Technology podcast which you can listen to now. So without delay, the top story of the year.

Those who have been reading our Top Ten lists over the years know that we like to get an idea of what other stories are making news in the general field of Assistive Technology. And who better to ask than a former panelist Mr. Wade Wingler of the INDATA podcast and social media feeds. Take it away Wade!

In the 80s the board game of choice was Trivial Pursuit. And all you needed to play was a dining room table, a board, a six sided die and all these little pie wedges that fit neatly into a six sectioned pie. You rolled a die and answered trivia questions from one of six genres, determined by where you landed with your dye roll. But now it’s 2015 and surely someone has found a way to put all that into your hand, right? Enter Trivia Crack.

AI Squared has released Window-Eyes version 9, the biggest update to the screen reader in a couple years. Among the new features are completely rewritten web support for Internet Explorer and Firefox, which will handle modern web pages with dynamic content. In addition, support for Google Docs, the latest version of QuickBooks, MathPlayer, and preliminary support for the Windows 10 preview are included in the update among other features. Increased responsiveness is also included, especially when arrowing around documents or executing other keyboard commands. Window-Eyes is free for users with a copy of Microsoft Office 2010 or later installed. We've linked to the press release from this post.

For the past two years, blind individuals in Denmark have been testing an app which uses the video chat capabilities of an iPhone to provide sighted assistance. Now The app is set to launch worldwide on January 15. Be My Eyes connects volunteers with people needing assistance for cases where an extra pair of eyes could be useful. Examples given include reading mail or adjusting the thermostat. Currently, the nonprofit is looking for volunteers to help run the free service, and is using Thunderclap, a tool to generate interest on social media, to do this. To learn more about the app or join the Thunderclap, which will send their message to over 200 accounts on Thursday, check the link on this post. And, here's a link to the Be My Eyes site. Thanks to Bryan Smart for the tip.

Intel's keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show included a demonstration of how their RealSense technology has the potential to help the visually impaired be more aware of their surroundings. In the video, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich introduces us to Darryl Adams, a Technical Project Manager at Intel who also happens to be visually impaired. They explain how vibration and other feedback is used to convey nearby information, and how it has opened up new possibilities for Adams. While opinions may differ on the effectiveness of this approach, it's another example of a mainstream company giving time to issues that affect the visually impaired in a major and well-publicized speech. We've linked to the relevant portion of the video in the source so you can watch it for yourself and share your feedback.

Google Docs has received the lion's share of attention when it comes to accessibility, but Microsoft has posted a blog message detailing some current and future planned enhancements to Office Online. Included in the changes are increased formatting notifications, virtual buffer reading for smaller files, and improved documentation. While much of the post centers around Narrator support, the help documentation also gives tips for screen reader use with Jaws and Window-Eyes. Check the source link for the post and help files. Have you tried Office Online, and how does it compare with Google Docs? Let us know in the comments.

It's the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and that means stories from all parts of tech, from currved televisions to wireless connections for your toothbrush of the future -- except from Apple of course. They don't attend CES. However, they always manage to slip into the news cycle either by luck, chance or just plain shrewd countermarketing. Here are just some of the stories that involved the company this week.

OmahaSteaks.com offers savings up to 64 percent on Selected combos with free shipping on shipments of $79 or more. No coupon code is needed to get this deal. Use the provided link to see products included in this sale. Deal ends January 16.

Just one more to go. we continue our written recap of the top 10 biggest and most influential stories of 2014 on Blind Bargains. This year's panel included Jeff Bishop, J.J. Meddaugh, Jamie Pauls, Alena Roberts, and Joe Steinkamp. Number 2 is actually quite a bit related to number 3.

Did you get our This year in Assistive Technology podcast? You can listen to that now and know the top 3. Meanwhile, we continue our written recap of the top 10 biggest and most influential stories of 2014 on Blind Bargains. This year's panel included Jeff Bishop, J.J. Meddaugh, Jamie Pauls, Alena Roberts, and Joe Steinkamp. Number 3 involves a colossal merger.

WholesaleValue4Less via eBay offers the Mophie Juice Pack Helium 1,500mAh Charging Case for iPhone 5 / 5s in Silver, model no. JPH-IP5-SLV, for $29.97 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find by $5. This 1,500mAh battery pack provides up to six hours of talk time or up to seven hours on the Internet.

Yapper_Wireless via eBay offers the Unlocked LG G Flex No-Contract 32GB 4G LTE Android GMS Smartphone for $249.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we've seen. (It's also a current low by $30.) It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz quad-core processor, 6 inch curved OLED 1280x720 display, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, 13-megapixel rear and 2.1MP front cameras, and Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) OS. Deal ends January 12 at 11 am ET.

Blair Tech Group via eBay offers the refurbished Dell Optiplex 745 Pentium D 2.8GHz Desktop PC with a 17 inch LCD Monitor for $116 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we've seen for a complete Dell desktop PC. Features include an Intel Pentium D 2.8GHz dual-core processor, 2GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, DVD drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit.

Qualitycellz via eBay offers the refurbished Unlocked HTC One M8 32GB GSM Android Smartphone in Gunmetal Grey, Glacial Silver, or Amber Gold for $349.99 with free shipping. That's $20 under last month's refurb mention and the lowest total price we've seen for this newest version of the HTC One phone. (It's also $119 below the lowest total price we could find for a new phone today.) This unlocked GSM smartphone features a 5 inch 1920x1080 (1080p) touchscreen LCD, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz quad-core CPU, 5-megapixel front-facing camera ,UltraPixel rear camera, 802.11ac wireless, LED flash, Bluetooth 4.0, and Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) OS.