When I got my iPhone, one of the first apps that I found was Bump. For those of you not aware of what Bump is, allow me to explain. Bump is an app that allows you to share information with other people by literally bumping your phones together. In the beginning Bump simply sent contact information to the other phone; now it has grown to have several sections including photos, apps, music, calendar and social networks.
Bump seems almost magical at first. You and your friend decide what to share and simply bump phones. Boom, you have their contact information; or you can bump and send friend request through social networks like Facebook and Twitter. You can also send photos of yourself to their phones or send app or music recommendations. Bump is even sophisticated enough to be able to find common free times within your schedules to set up a meeting or date.
Needless to say I was ecstatic over the possibilities this app offered. However I am deeply disappointed with the lack of bump requests I have gotten. Perhaps there are reasons for this. Maybe people don’t know how it works, maybe people don’t think it’s secure, maybe people don’t think that their friends devices will work with Bump. Well, I’m going to put your fears to rest by answering these questions.
“But how does it work?” Well Bump has a two-part system: the app on the device and an algorithm that matches phones on Bump’s servers. The app uses the sensor in the device to sense the physical bump and then transmits the time and location to Bump servers. The algorithm then matches that device with another device within the same proximity that felt the bump at the same time. The information is then exchanged.
“But won’t people bump my phone to get my information and steal it?” Bump is set up with security in mind. For any information to be shared the users have to go through a couple of different steps in order to send and receive information, making it impossible to transmit your information without your knowledge. The act of bumping followed by having to accept bump requests means that you don’t have to worry about some random person coming and bumping your phone and running off with all your contact information.
“But what if my friends don’t have iPhones?” Let’s face it, the days of having to ask this question are slowly coming to an end. The iPhone is dominating the cell phone world, and if you don’t have an iPhone, then, well, you don’t have an iPhone. But on a more serious note, Bump currently supports iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android—all of which can communicate with each other. This means that even if you meet someone with an Android phone you can still bump with them. Bump is also looking to expand to other platforms.
So there you have it: an amazing app that can do a lot for you. It is safe and secure and works on multiple platforms. So let’s get those bump numbers up! Start asking friends if they want to bump to set up a meeting or share photos with you. Hopefully I can use this poor neglected app on my phone just a little bit more.