Google Acquires BumpTop and its 3D Desktop Technology
Google's acquisition spree shows no sign of stopping. The search giant has acquired BumpTop, an application for transforming your desktop into a slick 3D interface.
The acquisition, reported by Wellington Financial, brings some really innovative technology under the Google fold. BumpTop is also no longer going to be available for purchase starting June 1. We have contacted Google for comment.
The company was founded by Anand Agarawala, who has been developing the technology to make desktops look more like real desks by using three dimensions, icon piles and photo pin-ups. BumpTop has been available for PC since last year and recently launched a Mac version.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, what is Google planning to do with BumpTop? It's tough to say at first glance — Google's really all about the web, not the desktop, which may be why BumpTop itself is shutting down. However, BumpTop's technology could be used in anything from Chrome OS to Android to bolster their interfaces. There's just a lot of talent on the BumpTop team.
Here's a video of Anand demonstrating his technology in 2007 at the TED Conference. We've also included an e-mail that BumpTop sent to its users yesterday, announcing that it was shutting down:
Letter to Users
First of all, we'd like to thank you for your past purchase of BumpTopPro. Our mission is to revolutionize the way people use computers, and your support has helped us continue working towards that goal.
Today, we have a big announcement to make: we're going to be taking BumpTop in an exciting new direction, which means that BumpTop (for both Windows and Mac) will no longer be available for sale. Additionally, no updates to the products are planned.
What does this mean for BumpTop Pro users? Rest assured you will be able to continue running the latest version of BumpTop with Pro features indefinitely. However, downloads and support for BumpTop Pro will end on June 1, 2010, and we will not be issuing any further updates. We recommend you save a copy of the latest installer at http://bumptop.com/pro in case you wish to reinstall BumpTop in the future. For your reference, your invite code is ___
We want you be completely satisfied with the purchase you made. Our customers constantly tell us how much they love BumpTop and how it's completely changed the way they use their desktop, and you will be able to run BumpTop Pro for as long as you want. If the end-of-life announcement still leaves you dissatisfied, however, contact us for a refund at http://refund.bumptop.com/refund, regardless of purchase date. All requests must be made by June 1, 2010.
Thanks again for your support of BumpTop and for helping make computing more natural and fun. Despite our change in strategy, we remain as passionate as ever about helping shape the future of computing!
The Bumps
