3D user interface for Android?
By Tom Brewster
Posted on 4 May 2010 at 14:11
Google has bought BumpTop Technologies, a start-up which created a multitouch 3D desktop interface for Windows and Macs.
BumpTop made the announcement on its website, which said the firm's software is no longer available for sale, though BumpTop Free is still available for download.
Given the arm wrestling going on between Apple and Google over who will have the sweetest user experience, BumpTop’s cool desktop and underlying technology are a natural piece of Google’s user interface puzzle
"More than three years ago, we set out to completely change the way people use their desktops," said a message on the site. "Despite our change in strategy, we remain as passionate as ever about helping shape the future of computing."
Google has remained tight-lipped on how it plans to use BumpTop's technology, or how much it paid for the Canadian firm. However, Mark McQueen, chief executive officer of Canadian venture debt firm Wellington Financial, has claimed the price was around $30 million.
“Given the arm wrestling going on between Apple and Google over who will have the sweetest user experience, BumpTop’s cool desktop and underlying technology are a natural piece of Google’s user interface puzzle as they prepare to take on the current kings of all consumer electronics," wrote McQueen.
From around the web
Bumptop available for a few more days
The BumpTop website at eol.bumptop.com has a download available for anyone who wants to try it.
It's an interesting alternate paradigm that would work particularly well with a touch interface.
By milliganp on 4 May 2010 
Meh
I tried Bumptop on my touch screen but it just reminded my of that awful Packard Bell navigator software you used to get for Windows 3.1.
It just seemed to be another layer of interface for no real good reason.
By JStairmand on 4 May 2010
CPU Clog
Oh, brother. Is all that I can say.
The GUI for Windows 7/Vista takes up more system resources than an entire OS used to need. And I'm not talking about DOS I mean a fully speced OS with a GUI like Windows 98 or ME (shudder) or the MAC OS.
I can run an entire Linux distro with a quality GUI on the resources that Windows Vista's Aero desktop alone needs to run.
Do we really need to carry this over to mobile computing, too?
An OS should be as simple and unobtrusive as possible. On a good day you should barely notice it's there unless you're booting. Do we really need a 3D interface that's going to chew up memory and CPU cycles.
Even if this one is simple and efficient, the next one will be a bit more bloated as they try to make it look flashier and so on. Eventually we'll end up with a bloated whale of a thing that needs more resources on it's own than the current generation of devices have in total.
Just like on the desktops.
By Perfectblue97 on 5 May 2010
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