June 15 - 4:50pm EDT   Apple has has posted two new Java update patches, targeting Mac OS X Leopard and Tiger, respectively. The Leopard patch, Update 4, is said to improve the "reliability, security and compatibility" of Java by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_13, J2SE 5.0 to 1.5.0_19, and J2SE 1.4.2 to 1.4.2_21. Mac OS X 10.5.7 is required, and Java SE 6 is only functional on Intel Macs, due to particular 64-bit code. The file is 158MB. [full story]

June 3 - 11:50am EDT   Oracle chief Larry Ellison late Tuesday said (registration required) his company may jump into the netbook field in the aftermath of its buyout of Sun. While referenced casually at the JavaOne conference, the expansion into computers is considered a logical offshoot by Ellison given Sun's experience in hardware and other fields outside of Oracle's preferred database apps. [full story]

May 20 - 1:30pm EDT   Several Mac security companies, Intego and SecureMac, have issued warnings related to an unpatched Java vulnerability that affects OS X. The flaw could be exploited to allow local code to be executed remotely, leaving the computer open to "drive-by-attacks" which can install malicious software just by loading a website containing a specially crafted Java applet. Hackers could also access or delete files on a system. [full story]

April 20 - 8:25am EDT   Oracle today said it would buy Sun for about $7.4 billion, or $9.50 per share. The move gives Oracle both a significantly stronger position in databases, letting it produce the servers that run its apps, as well as access to Sun's software. Oracle will have access to Java as well as Sun's Solaris operating system and promises to invest heavily in both. [full story]

April 16 - 11:05am EDT   A pair of sources claim Sun is willing to return to discussions with IBM over stalled takeover talks, according to Bloomberg. The insiders say Sun's main condition is that IBM make a stronger commitment to closing the deal, which might be subject to anti-monopoly investigations of the combined server business if a deal is struck. Whether Sun is willing to accept a lower offer, which was also considered a sticking point, isn't mentioned. [full story]

April 15 - 2:45pm EDT   Research in Motion's co-CEO Mike Lazaridis in an interview today shot down claims by Apple about push data and background apps on mobile devices. The executive argues to Laptop that RIM is more experienced at sending live updates through the 15 years of BlackBerries and that Apple's claims of severe battery life hits with background apps aren't well-founded. To Lazaridis, true background apps are feasible as long as the software is properly optimized. [full story]

April 3 - 8:25pm EDT   IBM's rumored deal to take over Sun may close as soon as the start of next week, multiple sources indicate. Initially thought by sources of both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal (one, two) to be worth as much as $7 billion, the Financial Times now says negotiations and the market have tentatively pushed that number down to $6 billion but that a deal could be made public as early as Monday. Discussions are characterized as hectic and have the price changing from moment to moment. [full story]

April 1 - 4:35pm EDT   Kyocera at CTIA today announced a pair of new CDMA handsets for North America with the G2GO (“Good-to-Go”) M2000 and Laylo M1400. The former is the company's third-generation QWERTY-equipped handset that comes in a horizontally-sliding form factor, while the latter is a more common vertical slider with a regular keypad. The G2GO M2000 is meant for heavy text- and instant-messaging uses and is due to replace the Lingo M1000 handset. The phone has Bluetooth support and a 1.3-megapixel camera and has dedicated keys for zooming into and out of and editing photos. An accelerometer switches the orientation of the 2.4-inch 240x320 display as needed. [full story]

March 23 - 9:35am EDT   ARM today said it should be the first to have truly console-like graphics on smartphone-grade devices. Detailing its plans to PC World ahead of this week's Game Developers' Conference, the company said its upcoming Mali-200 and Mali-400 chips will both have improved pure performance but will also support OpenGL ES 2.0. The mobile video standard is based on programmable shaders (effects instructions) that allow complex visuals like water ripples without overly complex code paths. [full story]

March 18 - 9:25am EDT   IBM is discussing a deal that could see it buy Sun Microsystems for about $6.5 billion, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. The takeover would be worth twice as much as Sun's current stock value and would give IBM a significantly larger influence on Internet businesses, where both companies' preferences for open-source and cross-platform technologies like Linux and Java would give them better clout against Microsoft's closed software as well as give them further independence from Intel or other x86 hardware. [full story]

February 12 - 5:15pm EST   Apple has released three web-related software updates, distributing them through Software Update and its support website. The first two fix the Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.4 distributions of Java, which are said to have multiple security vulnerabilities in their Web Start and Plug-In components. Of these the most serious is said to allow elevated privileges for untrusted apps and applets, which can be embedded into malicious websites to run arbitrary code attacks. [full story]

February 9 - 4:15pm EST   The LiMo Foundation on Monday announced six new wireless providers have committed to release LiMo Platform based handsets in 2009. The Linux OS-based phones will become available from Verizon Wireless, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, SK Telecom, Telefonica and Vodafone sometime in 2009. The open-source Linux operating system in the devices will be based on the latest version of the LiMo Platform. [full story]

December 22 - 5:10pm EST   BUGLabs has recently announced it will be introducing its BUGvonHippel breakout board module for Java/BUG software developers which includes a female USB 2.0 port. Named after MIT Professor Eric Von Hippel who authored Democratizing Innovation, the device has a female breakout board and direct connections to the circuit board for standard size wires. Users can connect power, DAC, serial and grounds as well as others to the BUGvonHippel module. [full story]

December 19 - 10:00am EST   Samsung will launch its first phones based on Google's Android platform this coming spring within the US, according to statements reportedly made by the Korean company. An official has told local press that Samsung is "accelerating" development of phones based on Android and should have a finished product released within the US during the second calendar quarter of the year, which runs April through June. The goal is to "meet the specific need of local carriers," the electronics maker adds. [full story]

June 16 - 11:35am EDT   Apple formally adopted a new web design framework at the end of last week's WWDC conference, accounts say. Although the session was guarded with high security and a non-disclosure agreement, information has reportedly emerged on Apple's announced development for SproutCore, an existing, open-source JavaScript framework based on Cocoa. The technology addresses deficiencies in exploiting JavaScript, which is often used only for launching simple behaviors such as animations. [full story]