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BumpTop

Google acquires 3D desktop BumpTop

Google has acquired Bump Technologies, the maker of a 3D desktop called BumpTop, Bump announced Sunday.

"Today, we have a big announcement to make: we're excited to announce that we've been acquired by Google!," a note posted to the company's Web site said. "This means that BumpTop (for both Windows and Mac) will no longer be available for sale. Additionally, no updates to the products are planned."

Financial details were not disclosed, but the company said it would keep its software available for download for one week. A Google representative confirmed the acquisition … Read more

Windows desktop: Go 3D

Just over a year ago, we took a close look at a Windows app that was supposed to turn the way some of us interact with our desktop on its head. And that was three years after the product's demo video debuted. Now it's back. BumpTop reimagines the desktop as a 3D surface where you can fling, fan, or even stack your desktop files. While we haven't heard much about the app's development since then, Google's sure been paying attention. The company gobbled up the conceptware over the weekend. There's no confirmation yet, but … Read more

BumpTop brings 3D, physics to Mac desktop

The creative and attractive desktop replacement app BumpTop is coming to the Mac. Launched last year on Windows, and a CNET Download Best of 2009 app, BumpTop makes desktop items act more like they're physical. You can fling folders, files, and notes around the desktop, smash them into each other, give them weight, and pin them on the 3D "walls" at the edges of your desktop.

The OS X version is an upgrade from the Windows app. The code's been re-written from the ground up, CEO Anand Agarawala says, and there are some UI tweaks that … Read more

Best new Windows software of 2009

This past year was not the best for new software developments. There were no surprising game-changers like Google Chrome in 2008, and no watershed moments. However, that doesn't mean there weren't some cool releases. I suspect that much of the best software of 2009 winds up becoming the foundation for innovations in 2010.

Obviously, the continuing development of Google Chrome was a major story, especially since it skyrocketed in market share based on its zippy engine and smooth JavaScript handling. If you're not using Chrome, you owe it to yourself to try it out. But it's … Read more

3D desktops

While we all wait for Windows Vista to bring the "Wow" and Apple Inc. to drop its Leopard, it's a good time to examine what might make a next-generation computer desktops really cool. One thing is certain; your next desktop will be more 3D and have task-juggling capabilities to satisfy even the most ADD among us.

BumpTop is a physics-based desktop prototype meant to behave as much as possible like an actual desk. It debuted last June but is getting renewed attention from the developer's presentation at Demo Camp in Montreal. With BumpTop, files can be … Read more