FileMaker Bento

iOS App of the Week When the leeches at NatWest recently decided to increase my home insurance premiums yet again, I decided it was time to take my business elsewhere. It was Bento that helped me to carry out an inventory of my home and belongings for my new insurance policy.

Bento isn't your average database

The Bento app is a companion for the Mac-based Bento database – which itself is a kind of cut-down version of FileMaker for home users.

There are two versions of the app for iOS devices. I used the wide-screen iPad version, although there’s also a separate release designed for the iPhone, which can also run on the iPad in ‘pixel doubled’ mode, though this looks unattractive.

You can maintain many databases within the app, all of different types

The app includes a number of templates for creating different types of records, such as expense claims, recipes, home inventories and even simple project management work.