FileMaker Inc. (http://www.filemaker.com) has released Bento 3, a new
version of the Mac OS X only personal database. For the first time,
Bento 3 integrates with iPhoto from Apple allowing you to store more
info about your photos and link them to contacts, projects, events
and other information stored in Bento.
Bento 3 also delivers new ways to share your information with other
Bento users. Just like sharing iTunes and iPhotos over a local area
network (LAN) using Apple's Bonjour technology, you can now share
your Bento libraries with up to five users over a wired or wireless
local network. You can also encrypt any field and assign passwords to
secure your information in Bento 3.
The new Grid view in Bento 3 delivers a method of displaying
thumbnails of photos, text and numeric-based information, while
improved File Lists show image thumbnails, instead of just text, says
Ryan Rosenberg, vice president, marketing and services, FileMaker.
With Bento 3, you can choose from 35 pre-designed, ready-to use
templates thanks to the addition of 10 more templates for popular
uses, including wine collecting, job hunting, home searching,
vacation planning and more. In addition, the recently launched Bento
Template Exchange shows off hundreds of downloadable templates
designed by Bento users,
Bento 3 has a suggested list price of US$49, but, for a limited time
only, FileMaker is offering a $20 rebate to existing users of Bento 1
and Bento 2. Qualified customers who purchase Bento 3 through the
FileMaker Store will get an instant rebate and pay just $29 for Bento
3. Qualified customers who purchase Bento 3 at an Apple store or
other retailer can request a $20 rebate online. Customers who have
purchased Bento 2 after Aug. 30 are eligible to receive Bento 3 for
free. A 30-day trial version is available here:
http://www.filemaker.com/trybento3pr
Bento 1.0.3 for iPhone and iPod touch resolves compatibility issues
related to Bento 3 for Mac and will be available soon. Current users
of Bento for iPhone and iPod touch will see a notification on their
device when the free update is available for download.
Bento 3 is also available for $99 for a family pack of five licenses,
and is available on the FileMaker Store. Bento 3 will also be offered
at the Online Apple Store and Apple retail stores. It requires Mac OS
X 10.5.7 ("Leopard") and will also run on the recently released Mac
OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on a Mac computer with an Intel PowerPC G5 or
PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor. A minimum of 512MB of RAM
and 1GB of hard drive space is recommended. A CD drive is required
for installation of boxed software.
