Is Your License Plate the New Inbox?

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An old automobile license plate hangs in the garage of the Kotzians in Thornton, Colorado March 25, 2010. Barb and Chris Kotzian are achondroplasia dwarfs. Preferring to be called little persons, both are active in the Little People of America, the only dwarfism support organization that includes all 200+ forms of dwarfism. To match feature LIFE DWARFISM REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES)

Making your license plate high-tech? Yes, there’s an app for that.

Bump.com, a new social networking tool, is trying to transform your license plate number into an identification hub that acts as an email address, phone number, shopping rewards card and even an IP address, reports Wired.

Set to launch in November, bump users can communicate with other drivers by scanning plate numbers with a smartphone app.  The license plate number recognition technology allows businesses and government to connect with drivers and drivers to connect with each other by text or photo message.  It works like a cookie, except it uses the license plate number as a physical marker for a camera that can read up to five plates per second at up to 150 miles per hour.

“The number plate has never given the consumer anything,” said Michael Thrower, Bump’s founder.   Similar to an eBay rating system, bump.com drivers registered can leave a negative rating for a driver.

NewsFeed is glad to hear text messaging is disabled when a car is in motion, but isn’t sure we’d be up for interacting with other random commuters on the road. But the next time you get cut off, your road rage won’t be forgotten.