The FileMaker Pro platform has truly become a full computing platform which provides a “blank slate” upon which you can create and meet your various business needs. Take, for example, just the ‘simple’ option of providing a mobile business software option. Because of recent advances in FileMaker Pro technology just this simple question gives you three different computing options:
1. FM Go!
This has been around for many years now, and they recently passed the 3 million mark in terms of FileMaker Go! downloads on the app store. This option allows you to ‘wrap’ FM Go around your application so that you can open it up on the iPad, or iPhone. It works almost identically to the desktop version of FileMaker in terms of giving the user a great UI experience.
2. Web Direct
This option basically allows your business application to be available on any web browser. The advantage of this for mobile is that this way Android users are not left out of the fun. They too can open up a FileMaker application on their phone or tablet. This technology, because it is running FM through somebody else’s browser, tends to have a bit of a diminished user experience. There are some features which are not fully implemented, and there are some aspects of layouts and object layering that are still a bit touchy. But it is a great option if you do a simple layout design, and if you need to open your application up to anonymous users who can only access via the web.
3. iOS App
This is the newest option, as FileMaker, Inc. has released the iOS SDK which actually takes your FileMaker Pro solution, and hooks it up with a full X code interface so that this can be released on the App store if you wish. (You would still have to go through Apple’s stringent approval process.) But even without releasing on the App store, you can deploy it to your team internally, and they have a fully functioning app to use on their iPhone or iPad.
So, lots of options for mobile computing with FileMaker. We can help you figure out the best one for your business needs.