Bump

Bump is a rather ingenious little app that allows for easy file sharing from phone to phone, even across platforms. Here’s how it works: You and a nearby friend open Bump; you select the file you wish to send, then you literally bump your phones together. The file will jump from your phone to your friend’s, just like that.

Okay, technically your phones don’t have to hit. As long as you’re in the same place and you both shake your phones, the Bump system will get the idea. What’s really happening when you bump is that a signal is being sent to the Bump cloud, which then detects other recent bumps in your vicinity and pairs them, bypassing the often slow and spotty GPS.

While using it feels like magic, Bump is more of a cool innovation than a practical tool. Any friend you want to share files with also needs the app, and the setup for each bump doesn’t feel much faster than, ya know, text or email. Still, it’s a cool little tool to have on your phone. Maybe someday it’ll come standard and “fist bump” greetings will gain new meaning.

Reviewed: May 23, 2011 | Nick Hurwitch