Why Does Google Want to ‘Bump’ It For Data Sharing?

Smartphones with NFC (Near-Field Communications) may soon lose the wow factor if Google’s latest acquisition is anything to go by. Only days ago, the search giant-turned-Android leader and hardware visionary acquired Bump, a wireless data sharing firm that does it all on the Cloud. For data sharing, all you need is the Bump app running on Apple or Android phones and a good Internet connection. Just bump the two devices (between whom data would be shared) and you can share pictures, videos, contacts, documents, apps and more. Interestingly, Bump also launched a special photo-sharing app called Flock back in 2011.

All these may sound a bit futuristic but it is quite simple, really. It is just that the phones’ sensors can feel the ‘bump’ and recognise your need for data sharing with the other device. So it starts happening on the Cloud and the other phone gets the required information without the least hassle. You need not switch on your Bluetooth either. And here’s the best part – Bump even supports data sharing between PC and mobile. Does it mean the data cable will be a thing of the past very soon?

In a blog post, Bump’s CEO and founder David Lieb says they are excited to join Google. The start-up has done some good work since 2009 when it was launched. Halfway through 2013, the company claims to have 125 million downloads and 1 billion photos transferred.

So what does Google intend to do with its latest acquisition? It is an interesting innovation in terms of wireless data transfer across devices. So don’t be surprised if the Android world adopts it large scale in the near future (pushed by Google, of course).