CNET Editors' review
Bento is a database app from the makers of Filemaker offering plenty of great features, but its deliberate lack of focus may make it difficult for people to grasp its usefulness. Bento is loaded with templates to create databases of people, places, or things using nice-looking graphics. The interface takes some time to get used to, but with a little poking around (and once the major features become clear), the true power of Bento starts to materialize.
Bento can be used to catalog just about anything in any number of ways. Comic book collectors could use the program to catalog their collection, for example, complete with pictures, short summaries, and more, all in an aesthetically-pleasing interface. You might also use it to search for a new home, adding all the information, addresses, prices, and pictures of locations making it easy to compare houses against each other. Really any sort of collector or person trying to catalog similar items could find a use for this program. Bento comes with a large number of templates that cover many hobbies and business-related activities, and there are more user-made templates you can browse through at the Web site. Everything from showing more info about the players of your football team to cataloging your DVD collection are great examples of uses for Bento. But perhaps its amazing amount flexibility is its primary weakness because people can't immediately see what use they would have for the program.
Bento works seamlessly with Excel and Numbers making it possible to import information to fill out your templates. You also can import contacts and your personal calendar to display the information in unique ways. Plus, you can share Bento databases, allowing others to add information to your template, making it great for collaboration on a project.
Overall, we think Bento is a solid database program made easy by a largely WYSYWIG interface. The trouble with Bento is that it is not immediately clear why it is useful, making this great program a sleeper hit that remains under most people's radar.
Publisher's Description
From FileMaker:
What's your passion? Selling products, building client relationships, booking your band, organizing volunteers, running marathons, collecting coins? Whatever it is, Bento can help you do it better - the fast, fun, and easy way! Choose from 35 pre-designed templates included with Bento, download and import templates from others who share your passion, or design your own custom forms using beautiful themes designed by Mac artists. Use Bento to do all this and more: * Organize contacts, clubs and mailing lists * Track projects, tasks, and deadlines * Plan special events, parties and weddings * Link photos to contacts, projects, and events * Manage students, classes, and lecture notes * Search wine and movie collections * Catalog inventory, assets, and equipment * Record billable hours and payments due * Keep a daily log of diet and exercise * Store recipes and shopping lists See, secure, and share your information like never before!
What's new in this version: With many new features including the ability to print labels, export libraries with data, record voice memos, automatically add geographical locations to records, and lock down forms, Bento 4 is a major next step for the popular personal database family.
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All versions:
2.9 starsout of 38 votes
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Current version:
2.1 starsout of 7 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-7 of 7
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"Broke compatibility with the old Bento App for iphone"
Version: Bento 4.0
Pros
none at all
Cons
Didn't want to upgrade but I was forced too because I updated my iphone app and syncing between the two was broken. Feel like I just got robbed.
Summary
Hate this company now
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"Version 4.0.2 works OK"
Version: Bento 4.0
Pros
Downloaded and upgraded with no problem
Cons
Nothing yet.
Summary
Version 4.0.2 seems to have fixed the complaints noted by earlier reviewers.
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"Bento 4.0.2 released today!"
Version: Bento 4.0
Pros
Bento 4.0.2 for Mac corrects an issue where Bento 4 appears to have crashed when displaying summary rows in databases converted from Bento 3.
This is a display issue and no data has been affected.Cons
You must download and install the update.
Summary
Download the update at http://www.filemaker.com/support/downloads/. Mac App Store will push a notification when available.
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"**Bento 4 trashes the database file as it updates it!**"
Version: Bento 4.0
Pros
None - simply doesn't work at all (with pre-existing databases.)
Cons
Trashes the database file as it updates it, rendering it unusable with any version. Then the damaged database causes Bento to hang, requiring a "Force-Quit". The only option is to revert to Bento 3, & rename the backup database.
Summary
An incompetent unusable, "upgrade" that should be avoided until they actually get it to work.
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"They need to fix it, fast."
Version: Bento 4.0
Pros
Looks like the main additions to the upgrade lead with label printing.
Cons
Database conversion took overnight, only to be left with an unresponsive application that had to be forced to quit. I reverted to Bento 3 and a backup database.
Summary
Wait.
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"Crash "DO NOT GET THIS UPGRADE""
Version: Bento 4.0
Pros
Absolutely none. ""DO NOT GET THIS UPGRADE"
Cons
Can't open database and can't use the mobile app without IOS4
Summary
They charged me $49 plus tax to break my software. I need my money back.
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"Unacceptable upgrade. Doesn't work. Crashes on start up"
Version: Bento 4.0
Pros
There are NO pros to an upgrade that is not usable.
Cons
Cannot use software upgrade. Crashes upon start up. Bento's support forums show other cases with same results. Many suggested workarounds without results. Only fix was to reinstall earlier version and restore from backup. Lost hours of productivity.
Summary
Does not work.
Results 1-7 of 7
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