Google has acquired BumpTop. Here’s the message from the BumpTop site, verbatim:
Dear BumpTop fans,
More than three years ago, we set out to completely change the way people use their desktops. We’re very grateful for all your support over that time — not just financially but also through all the encouraging messages from people who found BumpTop inspiring, useful, and just downright fun.
Today, we have a big announcement to make: we’re excited to announce that we’ve been acquired by Google! This means that BumpTop (for both Windows and Mac) will no longer be available for sale. Additionally, no updates to the products are planned.
For the next week, we’re keeping BumpTop Free available for download at bumptop.com/download to give BumpTop fans one last chance to grab a copy.
Existing BumpTop Pro users should visit bumptop.com/pro for more information.
Thanks again for all your support over the years. Despite our change in strategy, we remain as passionate as ever about helping shape the future of computing!
Sincerely,
The Bumps
April 30th 2010
MacDailyNews Note: Here’s a YouTube video showing a BumpTop 3D Desktop Prototype:
Direct link to video via YouTube here.
Played with it for 15 minutes, shrugged my shoulders and dragged it to trash.
The computing analogy of my sloppy desk at home is not the future of UI.
Go google
Hey Everyone, I’ve been away for three weeks gettin’ hitched! It’s been great, but I haven’t been following mdn… Can anyone catch me up on the major 2 or 3 stories of the past weeks?
how does this in any way make your computing experience better …. jeesh …
thats what archives are for…click away kid…not gonna give you a synopsis.
I can’t see this being all that useful for vast numbers of files. I rarely use icon view.
Another Beta for Google Labs. Great.
Looking at the demo video, I have to admit that it seems like a concept that’s not particularly helpful. There’s a slight “cool factor”, but it’s not like it does anything that I don’t already do with folders – and since it changes the orientation of icons so that they look like they’re physical documents strewn about my desk, it makes it harder to see what something actually is at a glance.
Just because that’s how it works with paper doesn’t mean the machine should copy it. It’s authentic, which means it’s authentically inferior.
On the other hand, that makes it easy to understand why Google would buy it.
Maybe Microsoft’s Surface could use it.
In watching the video, I found it amusing how their idea of organizing a bunch of files was to move them into a cluttered pile. I tried one of these 3D desktops some years ago, and I just never saw the point of it. It’s one of things that just shouldn’t be done even though you “can” do it. I see no tangible benefit, especially for the extra amount of processing power this would require.
Still born…just sayin’…
@Nerd Beautiful
Been pretty quiet here. Are you and your spouse responsible for that Mexican earthquake?
Eye candy to the desktop. Nice to look at… Way to go google.
Useful…?! Not
Next gen desktop? Probably not for the serious everyday computer user…
Lame
Watching this video there is a huge cool factor.. But when thinking like in web design… usually… less is more. And this being a desktop app, how CPU intensive is this? And though google now owns it.. makes me wonder if they will incorporate this into android. Which would kinda be cool I guess though im sure battery life would suffer.
This has to be the stupidest thing that I have seen in a while. Replacing our messy desktop with a messy desktop on the computer is completely useless. I swear, Google get’s more like Microsoft everyday. I think it’s time to let the CEO go…..
@Nerd Beautiful
Now, if you had a forum name that made you sound like a hot chick, you would have already received at least two synopses and several not-so-veiled invitations to drop by for a personal account.
In a nutshell, Steve Jobs is on the cover of Time, the Flash controversy rages on with Steve dominating Adobe in a full nelson, Apple is shutting down Lala, and the entities involves in the theft of the iPhone 4G prototype are feeling even more heat.
That, of course, is only the technical topping to the core MDN forum extreme political commentary.
Thanks for that. I briefly heard about the iPhone bar fiasco. I remember thinking that mdn folks probably got to see the prototype before apple snapped up all the images.
@ Nerd Beautiful
1. 4g iPhone prototype shows up on gizmodo, proven valid when Apple demands missing unit back. “Brew”haha ensues.
2. Apple v Flash debate intensifies as Jobs posts open letter & basically eviscerates Adobe. Much piling on ensues.
3. iPad being used by everyone for everything with reviews, complaints, & typical post new Jobsian device oohs & aahs. All time chair sales in Seattle area ensues.
On topic – I could see this + multi touch + 3d glasses maybe one day getting us to a “Minority Report” type ui, but Apple will come up with something cooler, more intuitive quicker.
Google is just like the Great White shark as depicted in the movie “Jaws” that will devour any rubbish found floating in the ocean. Google has no focus: it will buy any junk and rubbish just to satisfy its ego.
@Nerd Beautiful
ah Yeah, Some dork-tard got married.
ahh… let’s see, what else….
oh yeah, and get this, they wanted an MDNer to give them the MDN NEWS highlights for the past three weeks.
3rd thing-they set up the snarkiest MDNers with loaded post comment.
so that was about it—oh wait, one more… google bought another useless technology that no omes ever heard of.
I think it hit that one out of the park!
Nerd, KingMel left off a big one:
HP bought Palm for 1.2 billlion.
I’ve been using this since January when it came out, there was a li’l bit of a comfort curve, but once I got used to it, I found it to be indispensable. The developers were promising some pretty cool feature upgrades, unfortunately they sold us all out. I’ll be requesting a refund per the letter… Thanks for nothing Bumps 🙁
Hey nerd, don’t you travel with an iPhone ? There’s an app for that
Pure eyecandy
works great for people managing 35 documents
besides the box is claustrophobic
must have been designed by people working in cubicles
yuck
So, while Apple is working to remove the whole desktop idea from our computers (less is more), Google is looking to clutter up the desktop even more (more is more)?
I’m with Apple on this one.
I can honestly say that this technology has ZERO INTEREST to me whatsoever. If I wanted my computer to be as disorganized as my desk is, I would just throw away my computer altogether and go back to pen & paper.