Zoom-in Online

Welcome to Zoom In Online™'s Tech Friday series. This week, we'll review Bento from FileMaker.

Overview:
Database applications have been available for numerous years. Despite their presence, effective use of these applications has been limited to those with extensive technical knowledge. However, the recently released application -- Bento from FileMaker may be the first application to change databases and how consumers interact with large amounts of information.

Setup:
The setup process for Bento is fairly straight forward -- insert the disc, install the software, enter in the required licensing information and start using the application!

Pros:
- Cost effective: Priced at $49.00 for a single license or $99.00 for a family pack, this product is significantly lower than any of the other FileMaker products.
- Easy: Bento is a fairly straightforward and easy to use program. Unlike other simple applications, Bento doesn't sacrifice functionality for easiness, as it is very capable of handling complex databases.
- Library templates: Bento ships with numerous library templates that span a variety of different categories: Education, Personal, and Work. Each of these different categories further includes multiple presets that can be used as-is or can be customized as required.
- Pre-built: By default, Bento automatically creates some of the most popular databases - Address Book, iCal Events, iCal Tasks, and Projects.
- Flexibility: Bento offers hundreds of customization options to create the best suitable database.

Cons:
- Available only for the Mac OS X Leopard Platform.
- Initial customization and layout is slightly cumbersome.

Conclusion:
Priced at $49 (single license) or $99 (family pack), Bento  is a very robust and fairly capable solution -- for general consumers as well as for those that are looking for advanced functionality with a low learning curve.