Have You Bumped Yet?
Bump.
I'm not really iPhone App crazy - at least not like some iCrack Addicts I've met.
But this is an app that, while it may not prove to be a killer, is interesting merely because it takes advantage of the iPhone accelerometer.
Ok, let's set the stage.
Say you're at a business meeting. What's the first thing you do? Exchange cards, of course. But imagine that rather than handing off cards (and someone always forgets them, or runs out in a large meeting - and then there's the hassle of having to go back and transcribe the information into your contact manager, and then update the contact manager on all your computers and devices...) you simple "bump" knuckles with everyone around the table while holding your iPhone?
Bump is an app that lets you do just that. With Bump installed on your iPhone, and the app running, you tell it what information from your contacts and/or profile info you're willing to exchange. Then you simply bump hands with another person doing the same. A connection will be established between your phone and that of your bump partner, and the iPhone will do the rest. You can exchange your contacts as a whole, or only selected information.
This is fun, though perhaps too "deliberate dependent" to make it truly a great app (that is to say, both users have to prep their phones in order for it to work, making it not quite spur-of-the-moment, and it does depend on a server to make the connection). But what's truly interesting about this app is how it works.
Bump takes advantage of the iPhone/iTouch "accelerometer" technology.
Simply put, an accelerometer "measures the acceleration it experiences relative to freefall. Single- and multi-axis models are available to detect magnitude and direction of the acceleration as a vector quantity, and can be used to sense orientation, vibration and shock." (Wikipedia)
Bump, when activated, is literally monitoring the accelerometer in the phone for a specific type of movement (the "bump"). When detected, the rest of the app is invoked, and information is swapped.
Explains Universal Broadcasting News: "There are actually two parts to the swapping of information–the app running on the iPhone and a server in the cloud. In its simplest form, when two phones literally bump, they send the information to the server–the server then uses an algorithm to match that bump to another phone in the cloud. The users are asked if they want to swap information and once confirmed, the info is swapped, saving the new contact data in each user’s respective address book."
So the next time a colleague says, "Let's bump," don't be offended. It's a perfectly legitimate business exchange.
I'm not really iPhone App crazy - at least not like some iCrack Addicts I've met.
But this is an app that, while it may not prove to be a killer, is interesting merely because it takes advantage of the iPhone accelerometer.
Ok, let's set the stage.
Say you're at a business meeting. What's the first thing you do? Exchange cards, of course. But imagine that rather than handing off cards (and someone always forgets them, or runs out in a large meeting - and then there's the hassle of having to go back and transcribe the information into your contact manager, and then update the contact manager on all your computers and devices...) you simple "bump" knuckles with everyone around the table while holding your iPhone?
Bump is an app that lets you do just that. With Bump installed on your iPhone, and the app running, you tell it what information from your contacts and/or profile info you're willing to exchange. Then you simply bump hands with another person doing the same. A connection will be established between your phone and that of your bump partner, and the iPhone will do the rest. You can exchange your contacts as a whole, or only selected information.
This is fun, though perhaps too "deliberate dependent" to make it truly a great app (that is to say, both users have to prep their phones in order for it to work, making it not quite spur-of-the-moment, and it does depend on a server to make the connection). But what's truly interesting about this app is how it works.
Bump takes advantage of the iPhone/iTouch "accelerometer" technology.
Simply put, an accelerometer "measures the acceleration it experiences relative to freefall. Single- and multi-axis models are available to detect magnitude and direction of the acceleration as a vector quantity, and can be used to sense orientation, vibration and shock." (Wikipedia)
Bump, when activated, is literally monitoring the accelerometer in the phone for a specific type of movement (the "bump"). When detected, the rest of the app is invoked, and information is swapped.
Explains Universal Broadcasting News: "There are actually two parts to the swapping of information–the app running on the iPhone and a server in the cloud. In its simplest form, when two phones literally bump, they send the information to the server–the server then uses an algorithm to match that bump to another phone in the cloud. The users are asked if they want to swap information and once confirmed, the info is swapped, saving the new contact data in each user’s respective address book."
So the next time a colleague says, "Let's bump," don't be offended. It's a perfectly legitimate business exchange.
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