Google Buys Bumptop for Flashy Desktops
By - Source: Tom's Hardware US
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18 comments
Google looking for a UI maker to bump itself to the top?
Google has just added a new group of UI specialists to its roster of talent.
The makers of Bumptop, the desktop-transforming software for both Windows and Mac, posted a notice on its website that it has been acquired by Google.
Google's purchase puts an end to the sale of Bumptop software, though fans can still download it for free for the next week. Owners of Bumptop Pro will still be supported, though long-term plans are unknown.
Check out Bumptop in action here on a multitouch setup:
Bumptop Touch
Could this be a sign of where Android and Chrome OS could be headed?
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I'll still be a mouse and keyboard user for a long time, but I can clearly see how this type of interfaces can help allot of people for witch computers are (still) not intuitive.
I wonder how google will go with this, it'll be really cool to see this on a phone or something (shake the phone to align to grid for example).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GLzI0DYyik&feature=player_embedded
It's free and it looks cool. In my book that's good enough reason to download a copy to try out. Plus the install file is only 17 MB
Cool effects, nevertheless.
I can see how the screen technology is patentable. I can see how the 3D acceleration algorithm and hardware can be patented. But once you get to the point of moving the finger or fingers around on the screen, it just seems obvious and totally unpatentable.