Apple's FileMaker intros Bento 3

Apple subsidiary, FileMaker, this afternoon introduced the latest iteration of its personal databasing application, Bento, raising the software up to version 3.

Bento 3 offers new ways to view, use and share photos, contacts, calendars, files and more, the company says, including full integration with iPhoto, multi-user sharing and new security options.

That iPhoto integration means you can link images to contacts, projects, events and other information stored in Bento.
 
“Think of Bento 3 as a powerful, easy way to bring together all of your key Mac information and photos,” said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president, marketing and services, FileMaker. “With Bento 3, we’re providing new ways for you to view and interact with your information so you can organise contacts, projects, events and even more details of your life.”
 
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.

A new Grid view will display thumbnails of photos, text and numeric-based information, while improved File Lists show image thumbnails, instead of just text.

The software now ships with 35 pre-designed templates, including those for wine collecting, job hunting, home searching, vacation planning and more. The recently launched Bento Template Exchange shows off hundreds of downloadable templates designed by Bento users.
 
Bento 3 has a suggested UK list price of £29.95 but, for a limited time only, FileMaker is offering a £10 rebate to existing users of Bento 1 and Bento 2 via an instant rebate scheme to users who upgrade.

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.