Studio Manager News Archive
Recent History:
Studio Manager 9 on Schedule for Dec 18 Release
12-17-07
We have our heads down completing all the work we need in place to release Studio Manager 9 tomorrow. So far so good. Here's a single screenshot with more to follow.
Helping you hit deadlines. We've done a lot of work to make managing job deadlines easier and more effective. Part of that is giving each employee useful views of his or her deadlines. The Employee tasks reports that go with the views are also selectable for today, 3-day or all unfinished. On screen and in the reports the dates are color-coded. Hot pink is overdue, green is today, black is tomorrow or the next day and after that goes gray.
Studio Manager 9 Due Dec 18
12-13-07
We are finishing up Studio Manager 9 right now. Last minute additions, documenting, testing. You will need FileMaker Pro 9 to run Studio Manager 9. For a while, Studio Manager 8 will continue to be available as well. SM8 requires FileMaker 8.5.
Studio Manager 9 Nearing Completion
11-29-07
We are still adding features to Studio Manager 9. We know good and well that (1) some awesome designers are among our current and prospective clients and (2) some of you have a special knack for system design. You might not be able to build it yourself, but you know how Studio Manager can be made better. If you are one of those people and you give us a really good idea that we can incorporate into Studio Manager 9 in the next couple of weeks, you can get a significant discount off on your product or upgrade price.
Savings Available For Good Ideas. This a last minute thing, but if you have a good idea, now is the time to let us know. You'll have a chance at shaping the direction of Studio Manager 9 and beyond. Please explain your idea(s) in scanned in sketches, screenshots, PDFs, email and a short conversation if you need to, we are listening right now.
One of the Customizations You've Already Made May Qualify. Show us your cool additions and mods. Even if you've modified Studio Manager so much that you may not want to upgrade, it probably wouldn't hurt you to have a free copy of the single-user version of Studio Manager 9 to steal from. Who knows?
Studio Manager 8 Running Great in FileMaker 9
11-28-07
When it comes to databases, no news is good news. In four months, we've not heard of a single problem from our customers who are running Studio Manager on FileMaker 9. Full compatability was expected, but after 4 months even the conservatives among us can feel confident moving ahead with an upgrade.
Especially if you are running FileMaker Server, FileMaker 9 moves things ahead in a safe direction. Server 9 keeps you abreast of data events via email and can notify you every time it verifies a backup or has a problem. Good thing to have in place to protect your precious business data.
FileMaker 9 is looking really good and FileMaker Inc. has spiffed up their website to show it off. We encourage you to explore the site if you are interested in FileMaker 9.
We've got conversion advice for you over on our FileMaker Fever blog. And a bit more information on Studio Manager Bulletin.
Studio Manager 8 on FileMaker 9!
8-19-07
Preliminary testing shows, as expected, Studio Manager 8 is fully compatible with FileMaker 9. FileMaker Pro 9, FileMaker Server 9 and FileMaker Server 9 Advanced were released July 10. Since FileMaker 9 uses the exact same data format underneath the hood, we expected to have full compatability.
We have have had no reports of errors of any kind regarding FileMaker 9 as of 8/19. We have now switched over to using FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced as our daily tool of choice. We highly recommend the software.
We also recommend that you sign up for the Maintenance program that gives you better pricing on future releases in exchange for paying a fixed annual fee. Currently, when you buy a site license or 10 user license as part of a Volume License agreement, you get 1 year of maintenance free.
Studio Manager 8 in FileMaker Newsletter
5-11-07
Good News! FileMaker Inc. is featuring Studio Manager 8 in its May newsletter. Yay! We love this kind of thing since our marketing budget does not allow for PR expenditures -- at least not yet. This will get the word out to people who may not know we exist.
If you are one of the newsletter readers who just heard about Studio Manager 8, there are tons of screenshots here along with a free demo. Do not hesitate to call or email your questions or comments!
Studio Manager 8 Featured by FileMaker Inc.
3-1-07
Studio Manager 8 is one of only ten "Ready-made solutions" featured on the FileMaker, Inc. website. This honor was bestowed upon us in their "Creative Pro" industry solution category. The description of Studio Manager 8 is not 100% correct (we have multiple pricing and they only show the new single-user price) but we don't care. We are thrilled to have this important show of support from the developers of FileMaker Pro. They are in a great position to recognize quality products.
Update 4/26/07: Our 15 minutes of fame on the FileMaker page lasted over two months. Thanks, FileMaker, Inc.!
Studio Manager 8 Getting Started Guide is Out
1-19-07
Important Tool for Evaluating and Understanding Studio Manager 8. This short step-by-step hands-on tour through the Studio Manager 8 demo is up and available for download. We are going to go easy on you on this one (no form to fill out) and give you a direct link right here. Download Now.
Studio Manager 8 Product is Out
11-29-06
It's here! We've finished our landmark Studio Manager 8 product release. We are thrilled to introduce a massively streamlined, refreshed and beautified Studio Manager to the world.
This is the Studio Manager makeover that we've been wanting to do for years. Studio Manager 7.7 was already packed full of amazing capabilities.
Even though every bit of the power is still there, it looks like Studio Manager went on a diet. FileMaker 8.5's groundbreaking tab controls have allowed us to clear clutter and create a much more attractive UI.
If you like or love Studio Manager 8, it will be proof that good design makes all the difference. We think we have proof here. Please come and try the demo if you haven't yet. And if you've tried the demo, what are you waiting for? The new year is coming!
If you've been waiting for a fresher look in Studio Manager, your wait is over!
Seriously, though, we are here to answer any and all questions. We'll even give you a rough estimate for any customizations you think you need. Email and call. We'll be at the ready.
This is the season when finding a system like Studio Manager 8 is at the top of the to do list.
Studio Manager 8 Demo is Out
11-21-06
Drum roll please. It has been a long haul to get Studio Manager 8 out the door. This will be at least a two part process. First out the door is the Studio Manager 8 Demo and the Studio Manager 8 Demo Manual.
You are gonna love this new release. For quite some time now, we've been promising an overhaul of our Studio Manager interface. We had over 300 layouts and no simple way to change styles on multiple layouts at once.
We were waiting for FileMaker to release OS X transparency tools and what not but got tired of waiting and just said enough is enough! So, we grabbed FileMaker 8.5's new tab control features and ran with them.
Now we have these amazing new native tabs in Studio Manager 8. You'll see more tabs but in return you'll see less on the screen, more white space, a simpler UI and even professionally designed icons! One of our clients helped us out.
We recommend that you hustle yourself over to the downloads page pronto and check this stuff out. If you don't have time or inclination to download and try the demo, check out all new screenshots in the left column.
We Overhauled our User Manual
9-11-06
If you've never written a software manual before, you have no idea how much work this is. We don't just cut and paste. We examine every sentence and screenshot and make the words sing (or at least make sense) and make the page designer-friendly. All done. Now we can get back to the software part like we like. Customers: drop me an email to get a copy.
Studio Manager 7.7 Released
8-7-06
Yay! We got our latest baby out into the world. Version 7.7 delivers a major upgrade to our new Job Specs capability introduced in version 7.6 plus the usual tweaks we make to the back-end, interface and performance. Read all about and see our most recent release on our Studio Manager 7.7 New Features page. There's a new demo with all of the features of the new 7.7 product and a revised demo user manual available for free download.
Studio Manager 7.6 Released
4-20-06
Read all about our most recent release on our Studio Manager 7.6 New Features page.
Update: Free Demo User Manual
4-5-06
We have rewritten our 23 page Demo User Manual. This short manual gives you an overview of Studio Manager and includes lots of screen shots. If you haven't already done so, you can download the Demo User Manual now.
Free Updated *Getting Started* Manual Available
1-29-06
We have rewritten our 11 page Getting Started manual and modified the demo data to match. This short little guide walks you through some typical things you can do with Studio Manager. It's quick and, by the time you are done, you'll have a sense of what owning Studio Manager would be like. If you haven't already done so, you can download Getting Started now.
Free Studio Manager 7.5 Demo
10-31-05
Take Studio Manager 7.5 for a spin. Download the full-function free demo now.
Making Studio Manager Talk to iCal and Addressbook
9-27-05
We've got a client doing some neat things. He has a script that lets him send Studio Manager tasks to his iCal calendar. And he also can use the Addressbook. It may be a while before we find the time to put iCal integration into Studio Manager, but we are looking into it. Meanwhile, for those of you who need calendaring yesterday and like iCal, we want you to know it is possible to talk to iCal from FileMaker in case you've got an AppleScripter in your midst who could throw something together. Our customer said he found it surprisingly easy to do.
Studio Manager 7 is FileMaker 8 Compatible
9-1-05
FileMaker Pro 8 was released on Monday. There is no data format change with 8, so Studio Manager 7 runs perfectly on 8 without modification. If you have Studio Manager 7, you can upgrade to 8 if you like. It's faster. They've eliminated some of the tiny bugs in 7. It has clairvoyance (auto-complete using previously entered values) for any field on a layout that has clairvoyance checked. And you can turn this on by clicking a checkbox for any field in Studio Manager.
Studio Manager 7.0 Selling Briskly!
7-16-05
We don't have a big marketing budget (OK, that's an understatement). We are happy to report increased sales and upgrades with Studio Manager 7! Things are going swimmingly. Studio Manager 7 is a single file that packs a big punch. You just double-click to open it and get your work done with the push of a button. It's easier than ever to use, but even more powerful.
Probably due to our ruthless and relentless testing, we've had to make hardly any bug fixes. However, we have been improving Studio Manager 7 in subtle ways ever since its release in March, so if you've been waiting, you can be certain that the product you buy today is powerful and robust. By the way, we aren't naming any names, but we have an 80-person design firm using Studio Manager 7. And they were our first beta tester, so they've been using it for over 6 months now. If you are ready to take your business to the next level, Studio Manager 7 is ready for you.
We are using our new Studio Manager Bulletin blog more and more to keep you up to date with what is happening. Please check it out.