I must be missing the boat when it comes to the exact purpose of devices like this, but then again, I’m not the target demographic anyways. Well, here is the AVerVision150 Portable Document Camera from the folks at AVerMedia Technologies. Marketed with lecturers, teachers, and other presenters in mind, this is said to be a “high-value presentation solution” that can capture documents, objects, and microscopic images. In this way, I guess it’s designed to replace old school overhead projectors.

Its most prominent feature is a 3 megapixel picture taker, supplemented by the company’s propriety AVERZOOM technology. You’ll get PC cam applications, a detachable LED light module, and even VGA video recording at 24 frames per second. This final bit appears to be particularly useful for, say, a science teacher who wants to show you a specimen in 3D space.

Unfortunately, the AVerVision150 Portable Document Camera isn’t all that cheap, but you can grab one now for just a penny shy of $600. More deets on the product page here.