FileMaker Mobile 7 For Pocket PC Released

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.filemaker.com/releases/1177.html">http://www.filemaker.com/releases/1177.html</a><br /><br />"FileMaker, Inc. today announced the immediate availability of FileMaker Mobile 7, a simplified companion version of FileMaker Pro 7 designed specifically for Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld devices so users can take their data on the road. The popular mobile solution has now been updated for compatibility with FileMaker Pro 7, the award-winning database software from FileMaker."<br /><br />FileMaker fans will be able to synchronize their desktop FileMaker Pro data with them. It is $69. You need to have FileMaker 7.0v2 (v2? Is that like Second Edition? ;-) ) and a Pocket PC 2002 or 2003 device.

[OSUKid7]

I thought I saw that released last night. :lol: Got an email about it, but it wasn't posted. :|

Anyway, I've never used FileMaker for the PC. What is it exactly? I mean, $69 for a PPC app is insane. Does it just let you open and edit any type of file?

[Pony99CA]

Anyway, I've never used FileMaker for the PC. What is it exactly? I mean, $69 for a PPC app is insane. Does it just let you open and edit any type of file?
I used FileMaker (http://filemaker.com) once. If I recall correctly, it's a flat-file database program (as opposed to a relational database). It's especially popular on Macs (where it originated).

Steve

[Mark Kenepp]

Anyway, I've never used FileMaker for the PC. What is it exactly? I mean, $69 for a PPC app is insane. Does it just let you open and edit any type of file?
I used FileMaker (http://filemaker.com) once. If I recall correctly, it's a flat-file database program (as opposed to a relational database). It's especially popular on Macs (where it originated).

Steve

FileMaker Pro is a database program, which reads FileMaker files. FileMaker went relational with version 3 (in fact version 2 was called 2 1/2 dimensional). Though I am not familiar with other database solutions, from what I understand, what FileMaker does is not fully relational in the strict definition of the word.

It is quite popular for cross platform solutions. My company uses it (programming the database is my job) and I know a few other companies that use it.

I have never heard good things about the mobile version of the software, however, and from what I read in the What's New (http://www.filemaker.com/products/mbl_whatsnew.html) section at the FileMaker web site, it does not look like they addressed many of the problems or lack of features that gave the mobile version bad press.

It has been a while since I read a review on FileMaker Mobile and as I recall, one of the biggest complaints about the mobile version was how limited it was compared to the desktop version.

[Pony99CA]

It has been a while since I read a review on FileMaker Mobile and as I recall, one of the biggest complaints about the mobile version was how limited it was compared to the desktop version.
But isn't that to be expected in a PDA program? Look at Pocket Word (although that really should be improved) and Pocket Excel (which is pretty good, I think, except for some lesser-used features). Can you imagine full versions of Word or Excel on a Pocket PC? Would you have any RAM left? :lol:

If there are specific items that should be improved, those would be useful to hear about.

Steve

[Kathy_Harris]

Boyfriend just bought v7 for his mac OSX. It is truly relational. Don't know the crosswalk between FM Pro for Mac and PC though...

[Kati Compton]

But isn't that to be expected in a PDA program? Look at Pocket Word (although that really should be improved) and Pocket Excel (which is pretty good, I think, except for some lesser-used features). Can you imagine full versions of Word or Excel on a Pocket PC? Would you have any RAM left? :lol:
Heck - there's some capability of Word and Excel I could do without on the PC, let alone a PPC. ;)

[Mark Kenepp]

But isn't that to be expected in a PDA program? Look at Pocket Word (although that really should be improved) and Pocket Excel (which is pretty good, I think, except for some lesser-used features). Can you imagine full versions of Word or Excel on a Pocket PC? Would you have any RAM left? :lol:

If there are specific items that should be improved, those would be useful to hear about.

Steve

You certainly are correct :) but I think that there are probably better database apps out there for the Pocket PC than FileMaker Mobile. HanDBase for one and if I recall correctly, the reviews I read about FM Mobile for the Palm said that you would be better off with JFile and using the FileMaker plugin to sync data. I believe that HanDBase also has a plugin for FileMaker and if it does, it might be a better solution than FM Mobile.

I am just speaking from my recollection of reviews I read about FM Mobile, admittedly. I have never used the product myself.

[Mark Kenepp]

Boyfriend just bought v7 for his mac OSX. It is truly relational. Don't know the crosswalk between FM Pro for Mac and PC though...

The only difference between the two platforms is in what the actual OS supports itself, for instance, the Mac supports drop shadow and outline fonts where Windows does not, the Mac version supports Applescript, the Windows version does not.

[ricksfiona]

I've been debating whether to go with FileMaker or Syware. I want to create a CRM and have it sync. with a server db and have multiple users doing this...

Syware looks to have more options and database connectors to allow this to happen. Anyone know more about this?

[Ed Hansberry]

I thought I saw that released last night. :lol: Got an email about it, but it wasn't posted. :|
Yeah. The goofball making the post was having problems figuring out the future dating concept. :oops:

[Marcel_Proust]

I've been debating whether to go with FileMaker or Syware. I want to create a CRM and have it sync. with a server db and have multiple users doing this...

Syware looks to have more options and database connectors to allow this to happen. Anyone know more about this?

I looked at it and I like the concept of just going Filemaker to Filemaker (Filemaker is for most of the population better than Access and much easier to use.) However, unless someone corrects me (and I often in these forums) I didn't find the formatting for the Pocket PC entry screens very advanced. You can make things quite pretty with Syware for instance. Maybe more cosmetic, but still important.

[dlangton]

Can you imagine full versions of Word or Excel on a Pocket PC? Would you have any RAM left?

I'm using PlanMaker and TextMaker from Softmaker.com, and they're darn close to full versions of Excel and Word. That works out to about 7 MB of RAM loaded onto my T2T disk. They load faster than the desktop versions - about 2 seconds.