LTB Soft has announced LTB Light 9.0 (http://www.ltblight.com), an update of the US$299 Mac OS X application that permits natural and artificial lighting calculation with a color radiosity method applied to a finite elements plan. Version 9.0 adds support for both metric and imperial units, as well as UNI EN 13201 tables. It also has some bug fixes. LTB Light implements OpenGL. Data management take places through an internal CAD system, directly in a perspective view. It's possible to introduce flatten surfaces with colored glazing, furniture, curved surfaces like cylinders, cones, ellipsoids, hyperboloids and complex objects like cross vaults. LTB Light is able to share information with other CADs through DXF and PICT files. Light sources are totally managed inside the main program; it's possible to import, show, modify and use the IESNA LM-63 photometric data files (ASCII text file commonly used by North American lighting fixture manufacturers) EULUMDAT (an European standard) and...

Apple's integrated hardware and software system make it the most valuable personal computer maker in the world, according to a research note from Deutsche Bank. As reported by "Silicon Alley Insider" ("http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-revenue-vs-operating-profit-share-of-top-pc-vendors-2010-3), Deutsche Bank assembled the revenue and operating profits of the top ten computermakers in the world. It then charted which companies are capturing the greatest share of the pie to determine which vendor is capturing the most value. While Apple has just 7% of the share of revenue, it's grabbing 35% of the operating profit. Other companies are losing profit margins because they have to pay Microsoft for software. Deutsche Bank also notes that Apple, Dell and HP have 80% of the operating profit share on 40% of the revenue share.

xTuple, which specializes in Mac and open source enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), has announced the general availability of version 3.5 of its namesake product.  This latest version saves employee time and cuts costs by automating many routine tasks that are often performed manually or by expensive external systems, according to the folks at xTuple.  Version 3.5 also continues the company’s recent push to add more enterprise-class functionality to the core package.   This latest version of xTuple also gives users of the free PostBooks Edition the ability to run their xTuple database in the cloud via Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2).  During the month of April, the company will be providing the xTuple cloud service at no charge and encouraging feedback to help define what will eventually be a commercial service, billed monthly possibly across all three Editions of the software.   xTuple 3.5 also adds drop ship purchasing...

Artman 21 (http://www.artman21.com/en/) has updated OpenMenu X, a US$10 contextual menu utility for Mac OS X, to version Rev.2.04. The update, free to registered users, is a maintenance update OpenMenu is a utility that allows you to freely customize your contextual menu. You can open documents, applications, AppleScripts, Services Menu Items, and URLs any time you want. OpenMenu also supports the file system browsing. You can browse the file system and open/move files or folders through a contextual menu. OpenMenuX requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. It's a Universal Binary app, so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.

Haeleo Corp. (http://www.valuadder.com) has released ValuAdder 5, an update of its business valuation software. It's compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux and Unix systems. Now in its fifth generation, ValuAdder has purportedly served over 15,000 business people and professional advisor customers world-wide. A set of standards-compliant business valuation methods under the Asset, Income and Market approaches is complemented by tools for financial decision making and structuring a business acquisition. In ValuAdder 5 takes, a revised Start Tab Screen serves as the user's Command and Control Center offering instant suggestions on the valuation process, best practice method choices, and techniques to organize and complete the business valuation projects in record time. Contact Haeleo for pricing options.

Random House, the world’s largest book publisher by sales, could keep its books from the iPad "as the Bertelsmann unit fears the effects of the tablet device on the pricing of electronic books," reports "The Financial Times" (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4d11b5fc-36b9-11df-b810-00144feabdc0.html), Random House’s five big rivals -- Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Harper-Collins and Penguin -- have reportedly agreed to bring the iPad. Markus Dohle, Random House chief executive, hasn't excluded the possibility of doing the same, but said he was treading carefully, as Apple’s pricing regime could erode established publishing practices. Dohle told the "Financial Times" that the iPad spelled “changes, in particular for our stakeholders”, which would require the publisher to consult further with its authors and their agents. The iPad will come with an iBookstore app. will feature books from major and independent publishers. The free iBooks app lets you buy books from the iBookstore....

Toon Boom Animation has released Flip Boom Classic 4, which offers a direct voice recording option. Flip Boom Classic is animation software for kids age six and up. Completed animations with sound can then be directly uploaded to Facebook and YouTube. You can buy Flip Boom Classic 4 now for US$39.99 US and get the Tutorial and the ready-to-animate Easter Clipart free, a total value of $89.97 US. Current Flip Boom customers can upgrade to Classic 4 for $12.99. Flip Boom Classic 4 runs on Mac OS X 10.4/10.5/10.6 and Windows XP/Vista/7. For more info go to toonboom.com/flipboom/ .

Class on Demand, a provider of professional educational products for creative markets, has announced that both "Basic Training for Apple Color" and "Advanced Training for Apple Color" are now available for pre-order. The enhanced workflow of Color 1.5 for the newest Final Cut Studio release includes seamless round tripping, new high-quality format support, 4K and additional Red One support, direct import and grading of DPX files, and a variety of color surfaces. Led by Emmy-winning editor Steve Hullfish and 30-year color training veteran Bob Sliga, the new Class on Demand training courses guide both novice and experienced users through task-focused lessons that encompass all the newest features of the color grading software application. "Basic Training for Apple Color" includes five hours of instruction. The project-focused training encompasses color grading elements ranging from "Primary Color Correction" to "The Other Color Rooms" and "Interfacing with Final Cut Pro." "Advanced...

Noise Industries (http://www.noiseindustries.com/fxfactory), a developer of visual effects tools for the postproduction and broadcast markets, has announced that development partner SUGARfx has released an update to its Video Wall plug-in. The keyframable parameters of the new Video Wall 2.0 enable users to twist, bend, and animate multiple images and videos for wall effects. The updated release boasts fresh video options, auto-animation features, and additional capabilities, including new 3D control options. Users can also explore the possibilities of Video Wall 2.0 by sifting through added complexity modes, including "Standard" for simple combinations, and "Advanced" and "Expert" levels for creating more intricate presets and effects. FxFactory powered plug-ins are designed by Noise Industries and their development partners to extend the visual effects capabilities of Adobe After Effects CS3/CS4, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion and Apple Final Cut Express applications. Video...

Workman Publishing Company, responsible for the “What to Expect” series, novels like “Water for Elephants” and the Silver Palate cookbooks, also signed a deal with Apple for ebooks on the iPad, reports "The New York Times" (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/business/media/23perseus.html). The iPad will come with an iBookstore app. will feature books from major and independent publishers. The free iBooks app lets you buy books from the iBookstore. Once you’ve bought a book, it’s displayed on your Bookshelf. Just tap it to start reading. Publishers have "provisionally welcomed Apple’s entry into the market because Apple is allowing them to set consumer prices, within limits. Publishers have had no control over prices at Amazon, which has generally sold new releases and best sellers for $9.99," says "The Times."

KeynoteThemesPlus (http://www.keynotethemesplus.com/), a developer of add-ons for Apple's Keynote application, has launched 10 new Keynote themes: Chart, In Red, Money, Night, Old Gear, People, Planet, Secret Eye, Tunnel and US Dollars. In addition, a free World Theme was released for all Keynote users. All Keynote Themes in Action are high def. There are five sizes available for each theme: 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x720, 1680x1050 and 1920x1080. What's more, every visitor of a free themes page at the KeynoteThemesPlus web site can download a Keynote Theme in Action sample for free. The package of 10 Keynote Themes in Action is priced at US$30.99. They work with iWork '08 (Keynote 4.0) or later.

B.E. Publishing has released EduTyping, a new keyboarding software for schools. It requires no textbooks or paper; it's strictly online technology that provides students with the flexibility of doing assignments at school or home by simply logging in with a user name and password. "This software is ideal for middle and high school students and gives teachers complete online management of their students, including access to grades in real time," says Michael Gecawich, president, B.E. Publishing, and also a former keyboarding instructor. "In addition, teachers have the ability to control the length of their keyboarding courses." This keyboarding software that can be accessed from school or at home, offers features for educators and students that include: automatic grading; timed-writing tests; typing games; teen and tween customized lessons; and a sleek keyboarding tutorial. EduTyping works with Mac, Windows, Linux and all major Internet browsers and it follows the keyboarding...

Native Instruments has introduced Abbey Road 70s Drums (http://www.native-instruments.com/AbbeyRoad70sDrums), the second instrument developed together with theBritish recording studios. It provides two classic drum kits for use in the free Kontakt Player and the Kontakt 4 sample. At the heart of Abbey Road 70s Drums (US$119) are two drum kits of the Seventies -- a Premier and a Ludwig -- both recorded in Abbey Road's Studio Two. They boast up to 34 velocity layers per instrument with up to six additional variation samples. Separate "vintage" and "modern" microphone setups provide a choice between classic and contemporary tone, with the Ludwig kit also offering an optional "Glyn Johns" configuration. The user interface of Abbey Road 70s Drums makes full use of the features of Kontakt, providing controls for articulation, sound shaping, mixing and routing.

Macintosh software developer, freshcode, has debuted the Bodega Channel Program (http://www.appbodega.com), a new initiative for Mac developers that allows them to sell and market their wares directly to customers through the Bodega 1.0 desktop application. The Bodega Channel Program provides a direct purchase path between Mac developers and customers within the Bodega application interface. It lets developers reach customers directly on their desktops via the Bodega application, offers the ability to sell directly to customers through the Bodega interface using the developer’s own webstore, and sports the ability to maintain complete ownership of customer relationships. Member developers also enjoy sales reporting tools, promotional opportunities, the ability to provide marketing materials and videos to customers within the Bodega interface, and no upfront or ongoing costs. Rather, when a customer buys a developer’s product through Bodega, freshcode receives a 7% fee of the sales...

Opera Mini by Opera Software (http://www.opera.com) for the iPhone was officially submitted to the Apple App Store today. Its developers claim it can power through web pages up to six times faster than Safari. Due to server-side rendering, Opera Mini compresses data by up to 90% before sending it to the phone, resulting in rapid page loading and more Web per MB for the end use, says Jon von Tetzchner, co-founder, Opera Software. Creating a version for iPhone is part of Opera’s mission to bring the web to all platforms and all devices, he adds.

More than 30,000 games have been released in the iPhone App Store since its launch in July 2008, according to the Flurry (http://www.flurry.com). With titles that consistently dominate the Top Paid and Top Grossing lists, there's no question that the games category is the most lucrative category in the Apple Apple Store, says the research group. A new Flurry report looks at how Apple has affected the market share of U.S. video game and portable game revenue since the introduction of games sold through the Apple App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch. Using publicly available market data, provided by NPD (mostly through Gamasutra's Behind the Numbers series), Flurry calculated U.S. console and portable game software sales for 2008 and 2009. The research group also estimated Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable game software sales, which make up the significant majority of the portable category, in order to compare these to iPhone game sales. Flurry estimates iPhone game sales...

"Gizmodo" (http://gizmodo.com/5499439/buy-iphones-without-contract-now-official-app...) is reporting that, according to Apple's internal documentation, the iPhone is now available without AT&T contract or ID at any Apple Store. The "Gizmodo" contact claims that the iPhone is locked, however, so it will only work with AT&T SIMs. Customers aren't required to have an AT&T contract. And they can only purchase one iPhone per day. However, the iPhones are still locked, so you'll have to unlock 'em yourself. Still, Apple used to require an AT&T contract for the devices, even for the ones being purchased without a contract subsidy. The "contract-less" price is US$499 for the iPhone 3G 8GB, $599 for the iPhone 3GS 16GB, and $699 for the 32GB top model.

Red Giant Software (http://www.redgiantsoftware.com) has introduced a new family of plug-in applications for Adobe Photoshop: Magic Bullet PhotoLooks and Knoll Light Factory for Photoshop. Magic Bullet PhotoLooks (US$199) lets you manipulate and experiment with light while preserving essential photographic detail. Knoll Light Factory for Photoshop 3.1 ($149 USD), created by Photoshop co-creator John Knoll provides 19 flare tools for creating custom effects and includes over 100 presets and real-time previewing. Created by visual-effects expert Stu Maschwitz, the sophisticated presets and customizable tools in Magic Bullet PhotoLooks make it easy to control lighting conditions and create stylized effects for any image, according to Sean Safreed, co-founder and director of Products at Red Giant Software. Users can share Looks created in Magic Bullet PhotoLooks in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Avid projects through Magic Bullet Looks. Custom Looks created in Magic...

Apple has added the ability for customers to send an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad application to another person as a gift when purchasing software through iTunes. As reported by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com), by clicking the drop-down menu next to "Buy App" in iTunes, users now have an option entitled "Gift This App." Choosing it accesses the "Give a Gift" page that allows users to type in the recipient's name and e-mail address. It also gives the opportunity to add a personal message of up to 500 characters. The gift can then be printed and physically delivered, or e-mailed to the recipient via the automated form. Gifts can only be redeemed in the store country from which the gift originated

Ingram Library Services has launched Ingram Wire (http://www.ingramwire.com), a free, downloadable desktop application for libraries.  Build on Adobe AIR technology, it's Mac and Windows compatible. Following the success of the Ingram Wire for retailers, Ingram is now rolling out the direct-to-desktop application to its library customers, says Rich Rosy, vice president and general manager, Ingram Library Services and Institutional Solutions. "Librarians have been on the forefront of information technology and tools, and the Ingram Wire is just one more way we can help our customers stay ahead of books and trends in the digital age,” he adds. "Delivering relevant book news and collection development information directly to our customer's desktop saves them valuable time that can be better spent serving the needs of their patrons." With Ingram Wire, librarians receive stock news on fast-moving products specific to their assigned distribution center, alerts on top awards and breaking...

SanDisk (http://www.sandisk.com) will begin shipping what it says is the world's highest-capacity removable memory card for mobile phones: the 32GB SanDisk microSDHC card. Sanjay Mehrotra, president and chief operating officer, SanDisk, says themicroSDHC card can store enough music to outlast 35 round-trip flights between San Francisco and New York before repeating a single song. The 32GB SanDisk microSDHC card will be available starting on Tuesday, March 23, on SanDisk.com U.S. and European e-commerce sites, with worldwide retail availability to follow next month. The new card comes with a 5 year limited warranty and carries a suggested retail price of US$199.99.

Lenovo (http://www.lenovo.com) has introduced David Roman as its new senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Roman joins the computer manufacturer after senior executive roles with Apple, Nvidia and, most recently Hewlett-Packard. Roman joins Lenovo from Hewlett-Packard, where he served since 2005 as vice president of Worldwide Marketing Communications for the Personal Systems Group, and will report to Rory Read, Lenovo president and chief operating officer. Prior to HP, Roman led international and corporate marketing for Nvidia. Previous to that, he worked at Apple in multiple marketing and business leadership positions, most recently as vice president of Worldwide Advertising and Brand Marketing. Roman has been named as one of the “Marketing Top 50” by Advertising Age magazine and has been on the Creativity Magazine 50 Most Influential People in Creativity.

Uniea (http://www.uniea.com) has launched a new line of versatile cases for the iPad. The new cases offer a wide range of different construction materials, features, and colors. Constructed of lightweight neoprene, the U-Sleaf offers iPad users a sleeve-style case. The wave-shaped flap stays securely closed without the use of zippers or Velcro. Another feature of the U-Sleaf is that it is reversible, giving you two color options for the price of one. The U-Sleaf will be available in a multi-color/chocolate brown version in early April, and will also come in four other reversible colors not long after the release of the iPad. The U-Skin is a shell case for the iPad that features a smooth yet strong silicone surface that's designed to be impact-resistant and protects the device from dirt and scratches. In spite of the iPad’s rugged, protective design, the case is quite slim and adds minimal bulk to the iPad, offers full access to ports and switches for the ultimate in mobile computing....

NCH Software (http://www.nchsoftware.com/), a provider of audio, video, business and telephony/VoIP tools and utilities worldwide, says its MixPad sound mixing software for audio and music production is now also available for the Mac. 

 The multi-track mixing software has features for low latency multi-track recording and mixing and is targeted to creating music mixes, radio advertisements, soundtracks, or remixes. Users can load audio files, record clips directly, or drag and drop files from their desktop to the clip manager then onto the timeline.

 MixPad users can access more advanced editing tools for recordings with the WavePad Audio Editor ($80), which now has a library of 1,000 free sound effects in the Master’s edition. MixPad also works with Express Burn CD Burner ($60) for burning directly to CD. MixPad requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher. It normally costs US$80, but is being offered for $59.95 for a limited time.