Google acquires app maker Bump

Web giant Google has acquired smartphone app developer Bump. The iOS and Android app maker has previously developed a tool (also called Bump) for exchanging business cards and sharing files and Flock; a photo-sharing app.

In its four year history, it has seen 125 million app downloads, facilitated the sending of over a billion photos and it has grown the company to 25 employees.

“Our mission at Bump has always been to build the simplest tools for sharing the information you care about with other people and devices,” said David Lieb, CEO and co-founder at Bump.

“We strive to create experiences that feel like magic, enabled behind the scene with innovations in math, data processing, and algorithms.  So we couldn’t be more thrilled to join Google, a company that shares our belief that the application of computing to difficult problems can fundamentally change the way that we interact with one another and the world.”

Lieb added that the two apps, Bump and Flock, will continue to work as they always have for now but noted that users should stay tuned for future updates.

Manufacturing Android devices? You need to know how to manage the Over The Air updates.

Google recently revealed that it is looking to monetise its wearable computing project Google Glass by measuring how long users gaze at advertisements in their glasses for, after it was granted a patent for its Gaze Tracking System in August.

It also introduced targeted ads into its Maps app for Android and iOS devices; a move could put a dent in mobile operators’ plans to create new revenue streams using location based services.