Latest FileMaker Goes Mobile

FileMaker Mobile 7 allows synchronization of multiple mobile PalmOS or PocketPC devices from a single desktop database. The current release only synced from the desktop to one device, said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president of marketing and services at FileMaker, Santa Clara, Calif.

In addition, the database now lets users run scripts prior to synchronization so they can slice and dice the data that gets downloaded, paring it down to the most relevant information, Rosenberg said.

In March, the company unveiled its FileMaker product update road map and promised this release for the summer.

(See related story.)

FileMaker has had a mobile version since 2000 and has shipped 100,000 copies so far, according to Rosenberg.

The software's proprietary scripting language lets developers appropriately program for the receiving device and work through a series of dialog boxes and point-and-click commands. But while proprietary, the language can trigger AppleScript or VB Script operations so it is not limiting, the company said.

Also new to the product line is FileMaker Work Request. "It's a nice, easy reporting mechanism that lets you track disposition, time and cost performance," said Product Manager John Dasher. The Work Request application costs $119.

FileMaker Mobile 7 is $69.

For more on end-user databases, see CRN.