Buy Bento?

[suenc]

I am probably going to buy Bento. The first thing I want to do is type in my favorite recipes. Will Bento allow you to categorize alphabetically or by category (chicken, fish, etc.)?

 

[twerppoet]

You can sort by any field. You can also create collections, so you could put your chicken, fish, etc., in a collection and view only those recipies when desired.

Though, if you are only going to use Bento for recipies, you might want to look over the many recipie apps available. They will probably have features more in tune with what you want.

Here is a list of good apps to check out first, before you spend money on something you'll probably find less than satisfactory for your needs.

Best Cooking and Recipe Apps: iPad/iPhone Apps AppGuide

Also, Bento is only a so-so database for the iPad (unfortunately they are all so-so, so far), unless you can pair it with the Mac OSX version. Then it gets a lot more useful.

 

[j2flo]

twerppoet, I was considering Bento also but just like you were saying and from everything else I've read, it's not entirely great all on its own. I'm starting out as a freelancer and was looking for apps that have database/crm/project management elements to them to handle contacts and todo's, and ideally iphone and web app versions too. That sounds like a lot to be asking but I was wondering if you happen to know of any.

Thanks!

 

[twerppoet]

I don't think you are going to find one app to handle all of that, but I've heard good things about Pocket Informant, and it should do at least half of what you want.

Omnifocus is pretty expensive for an app, but I've heard nothing but praise from those that have it.

I'm afraid I can't remember any opinions on project management apps. I believe the Omni group is planning to port their project app to the iPad, but no telling when that will happen.

AppAdvice.com has several guides and lists that you could look at. There are bound to be a few apps you will be interested in checking out.

 

[Dawgluver]

I am in love with The Recipe Box (not to be confused with Recipe Box, also a nice app, but not the same.). You can cut and paste and edit. It comes with a few recipes already on it. You can catagorize any way you like. I also have a number of the previously listed ones, all of which have come in handy at different times.

 

[luckyleo]

My company sells product to retailers. We've seen competitor sales reps using Bento to great effect. They put their entire product catalog on it with pricing, pictures, measurements, etc. They carry their IPad instead of a huge briefcase filled with catalogs. Even though it's the V.W. of databases, it can still be a huge asset for business or pleasure.

Leo

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[twerppoet]

Don't get me wrong. I like Bento, but I also have the OSX app, which makes it easier to manage and extends the features. With both, the iPad makes a pretty good tool for gathering data, and looking it up. Without it's only an ok tool. One of the things you can do with the OSX version is create smart catagories. Very nice. They transfer to the iPad, and continue to be smart.

That said, I havn't seen a better general purpose database of the iPad. HanDBase is probably the closest, but reviews show that it is not as stable as Bento. Along with not finding a satisfactory way to sync it with my Mac, I'll stick with Bento.

I suggested the Recipie apps because when you only have one use for a database, you'll often get better results with an app tailored for it. It is always worth looking around for that perfect app before resorting to a general database. Unless of course you have dozens of database applications, then the price of one vs dozens of apps starts to come into play.