HoverCam: An Ideal "Document Camera" For Higher Education

HoverCam Solo 5x closed (l)
and open (r)

The HoverCam, based in San Diego, CA., makes document cameras, a product that's the modern equivalent of the obsolete overhead projector that used to be in every schoolroom and many conference rooms. Until now, almost 90% of the HoverCam's sales have been to the K-12 education market. That could change with the introduction of two new products, the desktop Solo 5x document camera and the ultraportable, pocket size HoverCam Mini 5.

The Solo 5x has unique features making it ideal for use on college campuses. Namely, its small footprint, high resolution, USB connectivity and multi-function capability including the ability to scan, video conference, record video and to present allow it to be used by college faculty numerous ways.

Here’s a list of the main features and uses on a college campus:

* Solo 5x has a small footprint -- it sits on an instructor’s desk in the office without taking up much desk space

* Scan documents and articles at the desk (without having to go to the photocopy machine down the hall)

* Use for instruction in class to show books, articles, iPad (tablet) screen – anything

* With its small footprint, the HoverCam Solo 5x doesn’t take up much space on a lectern.  It can be folded flat and easily put away

* Record instructional videos to post to a website for flipped classroom learning

* Incorporates a high-resolution, 5 mega-pixel camera, ideal for remote learning and "virtual office hours."  HoverCam works with Adobe Connect, GoToMeeting, Zoom, WebEx, Skype to show clear images during video and web conferences

* Take the HoverCam Mini 5 (the pocket-size version of HoverCam) to the library or on the road to scan multiple pages quickly and accurately. Ideal for scanning archive documents, rare books and other precious resources that may not be removed from the library.

* The HoverCam Solo 5x costs only $299 and the ultraportable HoverCam Mini $249, making either affordable for every instructor on campus to have their own HoverCam camera-scanner.

For additional information, please visit the HoverCam website at: http://www.thehovercam.com/products/solo5 and http://www.thehovercam.com/products/mini-5

The New Retail Package For The HoverCam Mini Has Arrived!

Here's the new retail package for the HoverCam Mini 5 camera-scanner. Click the video to see how the package flap opens. The Mini is the perfect tool for scanning multiple documents on the go. Not just a scanner, the multi-functional device is also a camera, video camera, high-resolution webcam and a document camera. It includes software for scanning business cards and allows direct upload of scans and video to Evernote (a great way to organize ideas), Dropbox, Facebook, YouTube and more. It fits in your pocket or bag and costs $249. For more information, please visit the HoverCam website: http://www.thehovercam.com

Which Document Camera Is Most Portable? Your Choice.

It was late in the day after another record day of HoverCam sales and Neil pulled out his new phone to show off. Ji shoe-d us his phone and then Art showed us the HoverCam Mini. Which is the most portable document camera and which are the pretenders? Where's the beef? Is this the new HoverPhone?

Can HoverCam Get College Students To Do What Their Parents Couldn't: Clean Up Their Rooms?

HoverCam Mini combines features of
camera, camera & video camera into
one pocket size device.

How cool is scanning?

Yeah, right. LOL.

Not so fast. The HoverCam has developed this new device that combines the capabilities of a camera with a scanner. Oh, and it fits in your pocket.

So?

So you can take it to the library and scan articles and convert the text to OCR to assist with writing research papers.  And everything you scan you can upload to your Evernote account.

What else?

HoverCam reduces the need
to carry (and keep) so many devices.
Don't be this guy.

The next day, you're making a presentation to your class and you want to show the widget you made with the 3-D printer so you pull it out and place it underneath the HoverCam for everyone to see. Your "document camera" is much sleeker than the large monster on the lectern. You zoom in and out showing the fine details of your 3-D object. And, since you've already written an app for your widget, you place your smartphone under the camera to show the class how the app works (and everyone sees the phone's screen clearly).

That's pretty cool.

There's more. When you get back to your dorm your friend texts you how to solve a wicked calculus problem so you answer not a problem and pull out your HoverCam and plug it into your computer and with Skype and the HoverCam you show your friend step-by-step how to work the problem.

About the size of a chocolate bar -
the HoverCam Mini helps students
reduce paper & organize their desk.

Later in the evening you're inspired to create a blog post and you use the HoverCam (which includes a stand) to record the video straight onto your computer's hard drive where it's easily dragged-and-dropped into the blog (and also uploaded to your Dropbox account from HoverCam's software).

Your friends stop by afterwards and you want to take a group photo. The HoverCam does that for you as well, using the timer, so that everyone is in the picture.

And best of all, see all those papers on your desk, in your drawers and on your bookshelves?  You gather them all into a pile and set the motion trigger in the HoverCam's software to take a scan two seconds after placing the paper under the camera.  So you scan, scan, scan, scan and in a matter of minutes ALL of the papers in the room have been scanned and archived in HoverCam's software and you carry the papers to the recycle bin.  Viola, instant order to the dorm room.

OK, I get it. Where do I get one?

The HoverCam Mini is available to college students from the education retailer Studica. They've got the HoverCam and hundreds of software titles and gadgets at student pricing.

Cool.