Apple iPhone Sees Its One Billionth App Downloaded

It was all an inspiration, of sorts, for three young tech entrepreneurs.  Andy Huibers, Jake Mintz, and David Lieb had all lost their jobs from the same technology company, and were looking for a new idea.  How about an iPhone app, one of them suggested, that lets you easily send data from one phone (or iPod Touch) to another?  And Bump Technologies was born.

The application is a lot like that old analog tradition of trading business cards.

Here’s how it works:  You download the free app, choose the information you want to send, and then give the other person (holding his or her phone) a fist bump.  Literally.  We called it a “pound” back in my days in Oakland.  You’ll call it really convenient when your contact information transfers to that other person’s iPhone like magic.

Bump Tech hasn’t been around for very long (when they get together, they typically work out of Andy’s house), but the app is already getting downloaded around the world, propelled by word of mouth.  As Andy told me, “It’s funny seeing bump in foreign languages.  We didn’t used to speak French.”  Now, Le Bump is red hot.

Thousands of downloads later, the trio has plans to eventually make money with it: letting you send premium content — like photos and music collections — while you bump.  I have to admit, it’s easy, it’s fun, and just try to show someone who hasn’t seen it yet how it works.  Talk about your social networking.  Just give ’em a pound, and spread the data. 

 [For more Scott Budman stories, please visit www.nbcbayarea.com]