More than just a document camera or a scanner the HoverCam Mini 5 at $249.00 is a desktop camera that can be used for web conferencing, document scanning, recording a video and a visual presenter for interactive teaching and distance learning.
Just plug it directly into a USB port of your laptop, no cable required. For even greater flexibility when making a presentation or to connect to a desktop, use the Mini’s case as a stand and connect a USB cable from the case to your computer. Not just a protective carrying case, the Mini’s case converts into a docking station.
Here are a couple of short video demos at http://youtu.be/_QVTHvdzSxk and http://youtu.be/kPdW4NEWND8
Compatible with: Mac, PC, YouTube, Twitter, Google +, Dropbox, Evernote and Skype
I tested this both on a Mac & PC laptop; used to scan documents and export into Evernote, created a video of annotating a paper and exported to YouTube and XXXXXXXXX ( add connect test here)
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Liked that OCR is included with text to speech, built in mic
- Easily exported projects directly to Evernote, Dropbox and YouTube so no “space” on my computer was need to store any of these projects
- Annotation tool bar that I could use both on my video as well as my documents
- Freeze frame saves viewers from getting dizzy as I transitioned from one document to another
- Auto focus and HD
- Can share a document/image when on Skype or Google+
Cons:
- Software runs on Adobe Air app and when recording there is a slight lag so may be a bit off from your annotation to your audio recording (although this can be a good thing as it forced me to not talk as fast as I normally do!)
Uses?
- Never a whiteboard when you need one? Place paper under the Hovercam and you have yourself a whiteboard
- No document camera in your lpatop ready classroom?
- Record your presentation and then send students a copy or post on OAKS (via YouTube or Dropbox.com link)
- Great scanner for oversized materials
- Have a computer/laptop without built webcam? Use the HoverCam for Skye calls
- Record an instructional video for a flipped class LINK IPAD TUTORIAL HERE
- Time-lapse record an experiment
Tutorials: When you install there is a comprehensive User manual
For more information and to purchase click on the following link http://www.thehovercam.com/
