Remember BumpTop? We covered a tech demo of the 3D desktop technology back in 2006 and felt that it could be a great way of helping the user bring order to the desktop chaos. Unlike other projects of this kind this one was developed into a product that is now available as a free and pro version for the Windows desktop. BumpTop replicates the look and feel of a real world desktop to the operating system. It looks pretty much like a three dimensional room on the computer screen. Elements on that new desktop are easier identified as their standard Windows desktop counterparts because of a few techniques like showing a thumbnail image of photos instead of an icon of the image format. File previews are not limited to images only. BumpTop will also display the contents of Spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations or PDFs directly on the desktop.
Icons can also be piled up on the BumpTop desktop easily. It is for example possible to create a pile of all Word documents or photos on the desktop. They can also be fanned out quickly to see what files it contains. The pro version adds flipping through the pile with the scroll wheel to that. Icon sizes can be altered manually to give them more room on the desktop which makes it easier to identify them. The pro version will grow popular files automatically.
The search as you type feature will identify matching icons on the computer desktop instantly and it only takes the enter key to open them. Other options include sorting them or bundling them together no matter where they are located on the desktop. Icons can also be tossed around or pinned to walls.
Tossing icons around on the desktop applies to interfaces as well. Tossing a document on the printer will print it while tossing a photo on the Facebook icon will upload it to the web portal. Facebook, Twitter and Email are currently supported by BumpTop. Several other features can be accessed like adding photo RSS feeds to the desktop or utilizing the capabilities of touch-screen interfaces.
BumpTop is fun to play around with. It does take some practice to get used to the new interface though. It is a well thought out Windows desktop alternative.
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook or Twitter.Related Articles:
Fix Missing Desktop Icons [Windows 7]Auto Hide Icons On The Windows Desktop
Manage your Desktop Icons
Hide all icons on your desktop
The Desktop of the Future
Seems cool. But how much does it slow down start up and processing I wonder?
Pointless! Why the hell would you want to use a computer like that unless you were using a touch screen!
This is amazing. And to the previous poster…why wouldn’t you? There are so many things that this does that makes it amazing.
- Preview of PDFs and images right on the desktop!
- Allows you to organize your desktop (Great feature for users who move move move and don’t have time to organize)
- Has a more fluid interface. Something that’s lacking with Windows.
Don’t call it pointless. I think this would be even better if it were used on a touchscreen device, but I think it’s an incredible improvement even on non-touchscreen computers.