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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?"

4 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. Wouldn't Chrome be more likely? by gig · · Score: 1, Interesting

    It's desktop software, right? Isn't it written in C? Doesn't work on Android, right?

    1. Re:Wouldn't Chrome be more likely? by Aranykai · · Score: 4, Interesting

      My guess is they wanted the patents. We are likely looking at the future of multi touch on android as well as chrome. A lot of this seems to be mutli touch just for its own sake, but some of these seem genuinely useful.

      --
      If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
  2. Re:If it's like their other acquisitions by JidsDB · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That's what I'm thinking, but I have the feeling that it won't really be used on computers anymore - more likely in Chrome/Android netbooks and slates, although using it to navigate a TV interface would be kinda cool. Placing the different options where you want them, grouping files by type - MKVs, AVIs, etc. or perhaps by program, put Planet Earth in that corner, Heroes, House, and CSI in that corner, etc. I just want to know why they don't want it to be available to the public anymore, because it had a lot of awesome features.

  3. Bumptop = Microsoft Bob? by whackedspinach · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I am always interested in any attempt to move away from the classic desktop UI design, as I'm not convinced it is the best interface paradigm. I tried to use BumpTop for a while though, and I just couldn't see the appeal. It was certainly a novel idea, but I thought it was about as useful as Microsoft Bob. I'll just stick with Rainmeter on Windows for now (not that Rainmeter is the easiest thing to use). I bet that this is a patent thing for Google, as I can't see them really designing Chrome OS or Android with this interface.