Bento: iWork’s Missing Database App?

Posted on February 21st, 2008

When it comes to business applications, nothing is more banal and boring than database software. My gastrointestinal tract contorts into many painful geometric shapes when I recall the times I was forced (usually at gunpoint) to use Microsoft Access at work. Sitting in front of my PC with eyes glazed over, staring at a sea of grey dialog boxes and blank fields. Much Pepto-Bismol was consumed during working hours, I can tell you.

Needless to say it’s no fun. And outside of a niche market for data crunching geeks and masochists, the average home user has little interest in spending their Sunday afternoon learning the fundamentals of fields, forms, and recorded lists. Wouldn’t it be great if some daring company were to forge a rich database application so easy to use and visually intuitive that even common peasants could learn?

Well someone did, and the shocking part is it wasn’t Apple! Well, not directly anyway (FileMaker is a subsidiary of Apple).

Who did what now?

No, the credit for this phenomenal application goes to FileMaker; a name synonymous with brawny database software. FileMaker is no stranger to the database community. Its professional suite, aptly named FileMaker Pro, is long cherished in the Mac community as the premiere database application for that platform, and its Windows counterpart is kicking numbers and taking names as well. Nobody knows database quite like this company.

This time around FileMaker has pit its brain trust against the under-exploited consumer market; laying waste to complexity by designing a simple elegant database package built for the average joe. What they’ve developed is something so well conceived, and so seamlessly integrated into the Mac experience, you’ll mistake it for one of Apple’s very own iWork apps.

The product is called Bento, and despite its silly name, this app is no box of raw fish. In a nutshell Bento is exactly what it claims to be; a personal database app for home and small business. But it’s actually more than that. Having tested the product, I’m convinced it’s a category killer that fills an apparent void left between iWork’s Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. With Bento’s simple prebuilt templates and richly intuitive interface, anyone can hit the ground running, immediately organizing personal lifestyle information. Never loose track of your Elvis memorabilia again.

When launching Bento for the first time you’re greeted with a clean, familiar, iWork-like interface. A sidebar on the left-hand side displays your databases and collections, which can be organized and arranged according to personal preference. The top portion of the window shows various form view options; table, overview, details, and so on. Below that is the main record window for viewing and editing entry data. At the bottom is a small toolbar for adding and eliminating records, as well as an interface layout control. That’s it. No clutter, no kludge, just a clean canvas.

Wax on, wax off

To get started, simply add a new library or collection from the file menu, or the initial welcome wizard, and select from one of many predefined database categories. Bento offers many “shake n’ bake” templates for common database types, ranging from event planning, home inventory, customer invoices, student lists, and vehicle maintenance, just to name a few. Simply click on any one of those options to build your collection. After that, you’re ready to roll. Just input your data into the predefined field variables and hit save. If you need a specific field that isn’t available in the default template, add your own.

This is where the magic happens. By clicking the “customize” icon in the upper right corner of the screen, a slide-out panel is revealed offering a list of prefab form field choices. Say you want a field for inserting photos into your home inventory entries. Just click and drag the media field marked “Photo” in the right sidebar to any location you wish to place it in the entry window, and release the mouse button. Voila! Easy as Paris Hilton.

Even media, both audio and video, can be added to a form as well. I can see a usage scenario for YouTube producers and podcasters using Bento to organize and catalog their uploaded video collections and audio archives instead of having source video files strewn hither and yonder across storage devices.

Bento Theme Transition effect from Kent Pribbernow on Vimeo.

Another really great feature is the ability to format records with themes. Themes are collections of color schemes, font styles, and backgrounds that give your entries a different look and feel. More than 21 different options are available to personalize to your heart’s content. What’s more, Bento takes advantage of Leopard’s Core Animation technology, and presents you with a beautiful ripple effect when transitioning from one theme to another (see above video). No, it won’t make you anymore productive, but who doesn’t love a bit of eye candy?

Tip: Themes can be used to customize specific categories for better organization and faster identification. And they look cool too.

Of course, like any well healed database app, Bento is more than just eye candy and training wheels. The program boasts a number of really useful features such integration with Address Book and iCal, linking your contacts and events. And the ability to search through your records like nobody’s business.

Good enough to be called great

To the experienced database user this is all old hat, I know. But to the average consumer it’s empowering. And when held against that standard, Bento really stands out as a landmark product. It may not appeal to the power user, but Bento feels right at home on any personal laptop or small office desktop. And is yet another reason to use a Mac.

At just $49, it’s very competitively priced and worth registration. Bento gets my snob worthy seal of approval for innovation and simplicity.