In line for the second iPhone, folks were talking about being able to ‘bump’ their iPhones. It was sounding like we were hearing about a action word that was soon to be as common as Google. While, it didn’t take off quite like that, ‘bump’ing your iPhone with someone else’s to exchange contact information is pretty popular. People look at you strange if they ask you to bump your iPhones and you question why.
The developers of the free Bump app have not had aspirations to be the ultimate contact exchange app. Instead, the technology behind Bump to know that two iPhones real close and showed a nudge at the same time could be used for many other things.
The Bump app has grown to be able to transfer a lot more than just contacts. It is now used to exchange Twitter or Facebook IDs, photos (you can do more than one) and calendar events. Once a connection is made, you are now able to maintain that connection to move other items across between the iPhones than just the originally chosen item.
Several companies and other apps have started to us the Bump technology in their own apps. Paypal was one of the first, allowing the transfer of money from one person to another via a iPhone bump. I had thought we would have seen this app getting used more at conventions and other gatherings but not enough yet to take notice. The coming together of PayPal and the Bump technology does take us back to the roots of PayPal when the VC money was beamed via IR from one Palm to another.
A most recent add is BumpRADAR. An Augmented Reality app that lets you see where there is ‘bump’ action going on. Which you can use to decide if there is a big gathering you should be at. Makes one wonder though that if this app can see a ‘bump’, what and who else can too. And, what can they find out about the bump.