Bento iPhone Review: Databases to Go

Previously on MacApper, we have reviewed Bento, the exclusively Mac database application from FileMaker. And, since the iPhone SDK was launched, it seemed like an app like Bento was bound to appear on the App Store. Well, just recently, Bento was released for iPhone, so it is time for a review.

The most important feature of Bento for iPhone is its ability to sync with the Mac version. So, you can access all of your databases on-the-go, in the palm of your hand. All you have to do is go to the Sync tab and click on the “Set up sync with computer…” item. You will then be prompted with directions to enable syncing, and once enabled, you only have to click the “Sync Now” button in the Sync tab. Syncing allows you to easily transfer the data from your iPhone to your Mac and vice versa.

Bento for iPhone comes with 25 templates for databases, but you can also create your own, or just start with a blank one. All you must do to create a new database is click on the New Library tab, choose a template and click Create Library. You may then begin adding entries. As with the Mac app, there are many different field types for different types of information. One of these field types is an image, which Bento allows you to take with the built-in camera. Unlike the Mac app, unfortunately, there is no way to edit the fields—Once they have been created, they are there for good*.

Adding a new entry to a database is very straightforward. You just click the [+] button in the navigation bar of the database and are prompted to add information. Based on the field type, Bento will have you enter the information in a different way. There is one issue though: For some of the field types, the text field (into which you enter the information) never gets selected until you type something on the keyboard. This ca be confusing, because it seems as if the text field is not editable, but once you type something, you can see that it is. Also, for some field types (namely duration), Bento expects you to type the info in a certain way, but doesn’t tell you how to type it right there. It tells you when you create the field though.

Along with searching inside individual databases, Bento also allows you to do a global search. So, if you have many databases, and you only can remember the name, and not the database, this can be very helpful. However, with this power, there comes a consequence: Speed. Bento searches after every letter you enter, and this search can take some time, which makes the whole searching process quite slow. It would have been nice had Bento only searched when you didn’t press on the keyboard for more than a second.

One complaint of Bento for iPhone (not for Mac) is that you cannot access the calendar. But, this is not because the folks at FileMaker don’t want you to, or because they forgot to implement it, it is because Apple doesn’t let you access it. But, hopefully soon, Calendar Store will show up on the iPhone. Despite this, Bento still allows you to create databases with events and dates, it just doesn’t sync over to iCal (on the iPhone).

Bento for iPhone retails for $4.99 in the App Store (link) and you can find more info from FileMaker. It has a few issues, but for any heavy Bento user, it is a must-have. For everyone else, it is a great companion to the Mac app, or as a standalone app, and if you think databases could help you, it’s definitely worth a look.

*Note: You can actually edit fields by going into a record and clicking on the “fields” button and then you can edit, rearrange and delete fields. It can be a little confusing to find at first though.

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