MacUser Review of FileMaker Bento Database Finds it Exemplary
MacUser Review of FileMaker Bento Database Finds it Exemplary
by , 2:40 PM EST, January 4th, 2008
MacUser/UK reviewed the new low-end database from FileMaker, Bento, in its latest edition and found it exemplary with little to grumble about. While there were some minor gotchas, the new database for casual users allows them to organize data in a fashion similar to the comfortable interface of iTunes and iPhoto.
The review described how Bento fits in comfortably with other Leopard applications in its screen layout. More importantly, when creating data types and storing data, "Whatever Bento is asked to store, thought has gone into ensuring the user isn't left frustrated by an unintuitive application," reviewer Alan Stonebridge wrote.
Other modern Mac OS X technologies were incorporated, such as iWeb-like position guides and Spotlight searches. The reviewer had no problems importing spreadsheet data.
Mr. Stonebridge was left very impressed. "For the market it's aimed at, Bento is an exemplary product. Much of this stems from the re-use of familiar concepts from Mac OS X and other Apple applications. A few minor issues leave room for improvement but overall Bento makes a good debut and at such a low price that only a die-hard open source advocate can grumble about," he concluded and gave it four rating out of five.
Note: Bento requires Mac OS X 10.5/Leopard and is still in "pre-release" preview mode by Filemaker. When released, it will sell for US$49 or US$99 for a five user family pack.
Observer Comments
Comments are currently closed. Please email the author instead.
Recent Headlines - Updated July 6th
- Mon, 11:17 AM
- Ted Landau's User Friendly View - Apple’s LED Cinema Display: A Too Short Story
- 11:11 AM
- Product News - Photo Recovery for Mac Adds Photoshop Support
- 10:39 AM
- Hot Forum Topic - iPhones in Education
- 8:47 AM
- News - Apple Employee Injured in Store Shooting
- Fri, 10:29 AM
- News - Apple Warns of Learning Interchange Security Breach
- 7:30 AM
- News - Happy Fourth of July!
- Thu, 6:07 PM
- TMO Scoop - Psystar Moves to Drop Bankruptcy Ahead of Apple Legal Battle
- 5:37 PM
- News - Uncomfirmed Reports Say Apple & Nvidia On The Outs
- 4:57 PM
- News - Microsoft Sick Over Barf Ad
- 4:09 PM
- Product News - KRK Ships R6 Passive Studio Monitor for Recording
- 3:45 PM
- John Martellaro's Blog - Particle Debris (week ending 7/2) Juiced, Joost and Goosed
- 3:12 PM
- Product News - ExactScan 2 Pro Released
The Mac Observer Reader Specials
- Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
OWC: Premium Memory for Mac without the Premium Price. DDR2 4GB from $47.99, DDR3 4GB for Unibody $79.99, Mac Pro 4GB $97.99. Expert Support, Free Installation Videos & Guides. www.MacSales.com
If you're using a Mac, then you've gotta check out Full Tilt Poker for Mac. This Full Tilt Poker bonus code does the unthinkable, it actually rewards!
RamJet Memory: MacBook and MacBook Pro 4GB kits for $57.99! Mac Pro 4GB Kits $99.99! iMac and Mac mini 4GB Kits for $57.99! 1TB SATA Hard Drives for $109.99! Click hereFor the latest Apple products use Ciao, a price comparison website, to find laptops like MacBook Air. Then find the best prices on MP3 players and use our comparison tool to evaluate mobile phones like the Apple iPhone.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

