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Google Acquires BumpTop Desktop

Posted by timothy on from the want-want-want dept.

TuringTest writes "BumpTop, a company that provides a multi-touch physical desktop metaphor, has been acquired by Google and made to 'no longer be available for sale.' BumpTop provides a direct way to handle information through simple gestures. Some media see this acquisition as a movement by Google to position against the iPad. Will BumpTop be ported to Android?"

7 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Why? by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 5, Informative

    I had the pleasure of using the original FSN (That is the name) on Irix 6.5 on a beautiful SGI O2 R10k. A friend did 3D and video edition on two O2s for years, and he still has them (and they work beautifully).

    If you want http://fsv.sourceforge.net/ is a clone that works just fine in Ubuntu.

    Regarding 3D desktops, it's not the same concept, but Compiz is amazing (Yes, it's more than just nice effects :D )

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  2. Re:Wouldn't Chrome be more likely? by TheSunborn · · Score: 2, Informative

    There is no reason to think it can't work on Android. Android don't have any problems running software written in C. You just have to use the ndk(Native development kit)

  3. You aren't imagining things.... by ShinmaWa · · Score: 2, Informative

    No.. you aren't imagining things. It WAS on Slashdot for about 10 minutes on Monday, specifically talking about the fact that immediately after Google bought them, the software was no longer available for sale and you could only download the free version until... well.. today.

    Then it suddenly disappeared, only to reappear just before the BumpTop download cutoff.

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  4. Re:If it's like their other acquisitions by ShinmaWa · · Score: 5, Informative

    It'll languish for a few years

    More like hours. Right after they were bought, the software was EOL'ed. The "Pro" version was pulled immediately and users were given a week to download the Free version.

    Whatever Google plans to do with it, they don't want it available in its current form. This leads me to believe they want to kill it on Windows to use on ChromeOS.

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  5. Re:Google? Ohhh...um...oh yeah! by El+Capitaine · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2010/04/google-planning-to-open-the-vp8-video-codec.ars

    Apparently, Google is planning on doing just that.

  6. Re:If it's like their other acquisitions by Zarel · · Score: 4, Informative

    You mean like happened with their acquisition of Writely? ;)

    (In case the reference is unclear; Writely is what became Google Docs Writer.)

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  7. Re:Wouldn't Chrome be more likely? by Aranykai · · Score: 2, Informative

    Android DOES currently use multi touch, though there is little of it in the UI as theres very little need for it. Maps, photos and browser all support it fine on all modern handsets and several 1.6/1.5 devices as well.

    I could see this incorporated as you say, a file browser perhaps. The 3D media gallery included in newer releases is pretty great on its own and would merge with these "gestures" quite nicely.

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