all categories Deals, Sales, and News

We have launched a brand new feature on our site that will make it easier to find the many blindness-related items on Amazon.com. Browse the Blind Bargains Amazon store for talking clocks, calculators, pedometers, scales, and watches, braille watches and books, accessible cell phones, toys, games, and much more. Browse and purchase these products in a much-simplified interface. Check it out by following the link on this post, and let us know what you think.

TheTechGeek.com has a compact battery charger with 4 AA batteries for $5.99. Add about $7 for UPS shipping. This set comes with a rapid charger and 4 2000 mAh Ni-MH batteries, which is one of the highest capacity ratings for AA batteries. Deal ends January 31.

Buy.com has the unlocked Nokia 9300 GSM cell phone for $234.99. With free shipping, it's the lowest price we could find for this phone. The Nokia 9300 uses the Symbian operating system and is a Series 80 phone compatible with Nuance Talks software. The phone features Bluetooth and USB connectivity, MMC memory card slot and QWERTY keyboard. The term unlocked means that the phone is not specific to any particular carrier and no contract is required. This phone will work with any provider using the GSM network, such as Cingular and T-Mobile.

An Ebay seller has listed a book of braille sudoku puzzles for $9.99. The book contains 10 of the number puzzles that can be torn out and put into a brailler or slate and stylus. Auction ends January 12.

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.

GW Micro has created a new Email list for those who own or are interested in the Braille Sense notetaker. The list will be monitored by GW Micro staff members. Follow the link on this post to subscribe.

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.

Buy.com has the D-Link 7DBI Indoor Omnidirectional Antenna for $15.99 after a $20 mail-in rebate. With free shipping, we couldn't find this item for less elsewhere. Hook this antenna up to your wireless router to increase the signal coverage and output power. Make sure your router's antennas are removable and will connect to this antenna.

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.

Blind Bargains officially turns one month old this week. So, how are we doing? Tell us what you think, and what you'd like to see improved. We've got more great features planned in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned. Thanks for your support, and spread the word.

GraveYardMall.com has the Ellula Hot Air Inflatable Speaker Set for $12.99. With about $7 for shipping, this is the lowest price we could find for this set by about $15. These speakers plug into your portable audio device and use the hot air to resonate your audio. Uses 6 AA batteries or a power adapter. Update: The link has been fixed.

Today only, Ebay seller JustHandMadeSoaps is offering free shipping on her selection of hand-made soaps. Read the page for details of the offer. You can get one bar for $1.59 or several bars and save more. Deal ends today.

Skype still is offering one year of unlimited calls from the U.S. to locations in the U.S. and Canada for $14.95 or just over a dollar a month. Personally, I cut down my long distance plan on my regular phone and signed up for Skype and am still saving a lot of money. Combine this with a Skype In number, which lets you receive incoming calls from any phone, and have a total telephone solution for less than $45 a year. Skype allows you to make free calls to millions of other users of its software and low-cost calls to regular phones around the world.

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.

Sendero Group sells the Braillenote MPower 18 and 32-cell units for slightly below retail. Get the 18-cell unit for $4,175 or the 32-cell unit for $5,885. At $200-300 off retail, this is the lowest price we could find for new Braillenote MPower units.

Godiva is chopping up to 50% off many holiday chocolate assortments. Many of their Christmas assortments look rather tempting. Sale ends January 26, if they don't sell out before then.

Amazon.com has the Palm Trio 700W Smartphone for $379.99 when activating a new line of service with Verizon Wireless. Upgrade to 2-day shipping for free. Also on that page is an offer to save an additional $100 if you sign up for 12 months of the Audible audio book subscription service. This phone features digital camera, MP3 playback, and Windows Mobile 5.0 and is made accessible by purchasing Mobile Speak Smartphone from Code Factory.