Apple Thoughts - News & Reviews on all things Apple

"Just two months after launching mobile versions of its flagship database program, FileMaker is rolling out a significant upgrade to the iPhone and iPad versions of FileMaker Go. The 1.1 update to FileMaker Go-which was expected to hit the App Store Wednesday morning-brings greater parity between the mobile and desktop versions of the database application."

Filemaker, which is a subsidiary of Apple, makes some great database products. I'm a huge fan of Bento for OS X. They also make a program called Filemaker (of course), and they've just upgraded the iOS versions of that software, which is called Filemaker Go. Both the iPhone version and the iPad version include the ability to share databases by email, and to create PDFs from databases. The iPhone version is $19.99 and the iPad version is $39.99. It's a free upgrade to current owners of Filemaker Go.

"Apple's wholey-owned Filemaker group has announced an iPhone version of its personal database tool, Bento (iTunes Link). While we don't quite have the motivation or the OCD to make databases of our daily lives, we know lots of people who can find a lot of utility in this great little $4.99 app."

I like the Bento program, although I don't use it as much as I probably should. Now that they have an app that syncs with the desktop version, I may have to get motivated. The app is in the mid-range for pricing at $4.99 USD, but if you use Bento it may be worthwhile. The app has 25 or so preprogrammed templates such as vehicle maintenance, books and to do lists, however some fields require Bento 2.0 version 4 for desktop. Curious about the differences between the app and the desktop version? Filemaker has a page setup for just that question.

Product Category: Mac Desktop Recipe Application
Developer: Advenio, LLC
Where to Buy: Deluxe at Amazon.com [AFFILIATE] or Download version at Advenio, LLC
Price: $47.99 for Deluxe at Amazon, $24.99 for download edition
System Requirements / Specifications: OS X, PPC or Intel Mac. There are two versions. Deluxe is distributed by Mariner Software and includes all 3 plug-ins. The download version has no plugins and each plugin must be purchased separately for $11.95 each. Requires 17 megabytes of disk space for install and space for the recipe database.

Pros:

• Intuitive and easy to use;
• Smart Recipe Lists;
• Has a Plug-in Architecture.

Cons:

• Made for small databases;
• No direct iPhone/iPod Touch syncing.

Summary:
MacGourmet is great software for storing and managing recipes. It's fast and intuitive to use, and the Smart Recipe feature is as powerful as iTunes smart playlist feature. Read more...