The debut version of FileMaker’s Bento () offered users an interesting product, but reviewers and users complained about the program’s limitations. FileMaker listened to that feedback, as the newly released consumer-oriented database application boasts a number of significant improvements, including better data import and export, enhancements to the spreadsheet-like table view, on-the-fly customization of forms, and the ability to share libraries. In short, Bento 2 is a much more mature product. With this update, Bento is more than just interesting—it might actually be useful.

What is Bento? At first glance, it looks like a tool for tying together otherwise disparate digital “stuff” on your hard disk, like an e-mail message in Mail, a couple of contact records in Address Book, some expense receipts, a to-do list, some deadlines in iCal, and a couple of word processing or spreadsheet documents. But at a more basic— and in my opinion, more useful— level, Bento is a very slick, very easy-to-use database management system for individual users, whether you’re at home or in your office

Via Macword