BumpTop released the Windows version of BumpTop’s 3D desktop in April 2009. Today, BumpTop finally released a version for the Mac. BumpTop turns your desktop into a 3D experience, where documents are organized in stacks and you can pin often-used files, folders or images onto the walls. BumpTop also incorporates a physics simulations, so interactions with your files on the 3D desktop feel extremely lifelike.
Turn Your Desktop into a 3D Environment
While the Mac doesn’t offer multi-touch screens, BumpTop managed to incorporate some multi-touch gestures by using the touchpad on Mac laptops (these are only available in the Pro version). Swiping down with three fingers, for example, creates a new stack of files on your desktop. If you are using a desktop or an older laptop, however, you will not be able to make use of these gestures.
Mac Version Give You a More Seamless Experience
For the Mac version, the BumpTop team has tweaked the user interface so that it fits in nicely with the rest of the OSX experience. BumpTop still suffers from a slight disconnect between the desktop experience and running an application. Switching to the application takes you out of the 3D experience. Interestingly enough, this effect is less pronounced on the Mac than on Windows. On the Mac, BumpTop just becomes a seamless part of your desktop and stays out of the way. On Windows, BumpTop often feels more like an additional application than an integral part of the OS.
For a more detailed look at BumpTop’s feature set, have a look at our earlier review of the Windows version.
Get a Free Pro Version
The free version of BumpTop incorporates most of the most interesting features in the software, but the Pro version ($29) includes a number of cool additional features like multi-touch gestures, unlimited sticky notes on your desktop and a find-as-you-type feature that makes it easy to find documents on your desktop.
The Pro version is a free upgrade to the first 100 people who sign up at this special ReadWriteWeb page.
