Transfer Money and Access Contact Info With the "Bump" of a Smart Phone

We're normally not huge advocates of smart phone apps that connect to social media. Sure, a lot of them are handy, but in the day and age of Foursquare check-ins, following on Twitter, and Facebook stalking, it's just too easy to get lost in the noise. Enter Bump. ...

By Christine Borges

August 9, 2010

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We're normally not huge advocates of smart phone apps that connect to social media. Sure, a lot of them are handy, but in the day and age of Foursquare check-ins, following on Twitter, and Facebook stalking, it's just too easy to get lost in the noise. Enter Bump.

It's a lot like clinking beer mugs or a traditional fist bump, but for the tech savvy. You can sync contact information, social media networks, and calendars; instantly split bills (and calculate everyone's share); and, the latest feature, send money via PayPal, all with the simple bump of a smart phone. In other words, it's an app that makes our lives just a bit easier -- and lazier.

With Bump Technologies, you can bump any two smart phones together

(yeah, that's right, not just iPhones) and instantly transfer information. Kiss goodbye the tediousness of manually entering phone

numbers and contact information.

It sounds a lot easier than the technology behind it actually is, but we

won't bore you with specifics. Let's just say this: The CTO of the start-up

company has a PhD in quantum mechanics, and there was a lot of math involved in the app's development.

Bump is available for free and works with the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Android

phones for now, with plans to expand to other platforms. They're also

working on eventually allowing people to transfer music, ringtones, and

other files via "bump." See a demo of the app below and tell us what you think: Is it the future of transferring information?

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Christine Borges is an award-winning writer and editor from Miami. She has over a decade of experience reporting on music, fashion, and the arts. When she’s not exploring new scenes and cultures, she’s petting dogs.

Contact: Christine Borges