Google is acquiring BumpTop, a startup that aimed to improve the interface of your computer desktop.
BumpTop launched its first product about a year ago. The idea, as founder and chief executive Anand Agarawala described it during a talk at the 2007 TED conference, was to do away with the "same old crap" found in the layout of both the Windows and Mac operating systems. By turning the desktop into a three-dimensional space, users can arrange things more naturally and creatively. They can pile things up, just like they can on a physical desk. Here's a bit more from Agarawala's speech (edited for readability):
One information space that I take inspiration from is my real desk. It's so much more subtle, so much more visceral -- you know, what's visible, what's not. And I'd like to take that experience to the desktop. ... You can bump things, they're all physically manipulable. Instead of that point-and-click, it's a push-and-pull.
What's Google going to do with BumpTop? The search giant hasn't said anything about the deal yet, either on the main Google blog or in response to VentureBeat's email requesting comment. The most likely area seems to be its Android operating system for smartphones and (eventually) other devices, such as tablet computers. Some of these ideas and technologies might give the Android interface a leg up over Apple's iPad and iPhone. Google is also developing the Chrome operating system for netbooks, but BumpTop seems less relevant there, since the Chrome OS is all about the web browser.
Update: A Google spokesman responded, "We're happy to welcome the BumpTop team to Google, but we don't have any specific information to share."
The news was announced through a message on the BumpTop website. The company says it's going to stop selling the application, although curious users will have one more week to download the free version. (Earlier stories suggest that BumpTop's original message didn't mention Google.)
BumpTop raised $1.65 million in funding, according to Agarawal's online resume. Investors include GrowthWorks, Extreme Venture Partners, and three angels: Andy Hertzfeld, Austin Hill, and G.R. Heffernan Associates. A post at the Wellington Financial blog speculates that the acquisition price was probably between $35 and $40 million, although that doesn't sound like anything more than an educated guess.
BumpTop was also part of Microsoft's BizSpark program, which offers free software and mentoring to startups. In the last few months, Google has acquired a couple other companies with ties to the competition -- DocVerse, a startup founded by former Microsoft employees that built collaboration tools for Microsoft Office, and Agnilux, which was founded by employees of PA Semi, the chip company acquired by Apple.
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