As for the handheld client, you can quickly switch databases, which are loaded through the Desktop Manager’s synchronization, and while editing and adding entries requires a few extra clicks, the layout remains legible and easy to access. The search option returns results as they’re typed, which provides especially speedy access to info in larger databases. You can also set up views to quickly show items which fulfill certain criteria.
After watching the Palm client in the video demos, you can’t help but feel that the experience is a little less enjoyable on BlackBerry – you can’t use checkboxes right from the database screen, you can’t resize columns, and popups require a few extra clicks. For example, to change the quantity of items on a shopping list, you have to chose Edit Record, then Select Popup, and finally Select, all through menus and new windows, when an individual click and drop-down menu from the standard view would do the job much more quickly and smoothly. The interface still needs some tweaking, mostly in reducing keystrokes in order to compare to the Palm version.
Verdict
For anyone with a background with databases, HanDBase can provide you with all the tools you need to make full-bodied, dynamic tables for your BlackBerry. It’s a bit trickier for beginners since the app still feels firmly entrenched in Palm and Pocket PC interfaces and hasn’t been fully adapted for the BlackBerry way just yet, but the instructional videos and existing databases can help a lot. We’re going to give HanDBase 3.5 Spreadsheets out of 5. It features a ton of functionality, regardless of how casual or extensive your data needs might be, has ample community and developer support, but still doesn’t feel quite at home at BlackBerry.
