Bento 4 for iPad adds custom apps, new Retina themes
updated 10:13 am EDT, Tue June 19, 2012
Bento 4.1 for Mac, Bento 1.2.1 for iPhone allow sync
Apple-owned FileMaker has released Bento 4 for iPad, a new version of its personal database software. Among the core changes is the ability to create personal apps customized for different tasks; elements can be dragged and dropped into place. Bento 4 also has access to a new selection of free iPad templates on the Bento Template Exchange, and 40 new themes, all of which are compatible with the third-generation iPad's Retina display. Accordingly, the rest of the app has also been scaled to Retina graphics for the first time.
New Form, Table, Split, and Full Screen views have been implemented, and data can be sorted according to multiple fields. FileMaker has also added a records slider, highlighted searches, and the the ability to email library data in CSV format. More critically the app now supports several new data types, including encrypted fields, simple lists, GPS locations, and calculations.
Coinciding with the iPad update are Bento 4.1 for the Mac and Bento 1.2.1 for the iPhone; while these are mainly meant to ensure compatibility with the new iPad app -- including sync via the Mac software -- they also add localizations in simplified Chinese. The iPad app is $5, and requires iOS 5.0 or better.
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Joined: Jan 2008
Just to clarify...
This Bento for iPad 4 is a new app; not an upgrade to the current version. There is a minor update this morning for Bento for iPad (1.1.6), but I'm sure that is to allow compatibility w/ the new desktop update. It will not contain any of the new features listed above that are in v.4.
So to get Bento for iPad 4, regardless of whether you have it now or not, requires a $5 purchase.