One of the recent security holes that Apple dug itself into recently was the mishap that resulted from its lack of attention to the Java runtime for OS X, whereby leaving it unpatched for over a month allowed the Flashback malware to take advantage of many OS X systems. Since this incident, Apple appears to be paying more attention to security updates for its supported Java runtime.

Today Oracle released a new version of the Java runtime, and while in the past Apple has lagged a number of weeks behind Oracle's releases, the company was hot on the heels of the Java release and issued its own update very shortly after Oracle's.

The Java update for OS X is available for anyone who has Java SE 6 installed on Snow Leopard or Lion, and should be available through Software Update, but can also be downloaded from the following locations (note that if you do not see these updates available in Software Update, then you likely do not have Java installed and do not need to install them manually):

Java for OS X Lion 2012-004

Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 9

As always, be sure to back up your system before installing these or any other updates.

Questions? Comments? Have a fix? Post them below or document.write('... [Read more]

It didn't make the stage during the Apple WWDC keynote, but Apple rolled out a stealth upgrade to its Aperture 3 professional photo organization and editing software. Aperture 3.3 includes a variety of stability and performance updates as well as interface tweaks; the biggest news is that the application now supports AVCHD video files.

Some of the changes sound like they're designed to make Aperture a little more consumer friendly. For instance, it now has better iPhoto integration, with Faces, Places, slideshows, albums and web sharing operating without any import or export, and you can now name Faces via drag and drop to the corkboard and set the sort order via menu. You can also now set a photo as your desktop background from within Aperture.

Some enhancements sound like responses to Adobe Lightroom's recent facelift; a modified highlights and shadows tool Apple claims delivers better results and works with broader dynamic ranges, and you can set the background brightness in the full-screen browser.

Both pros and nonpros can benefit from increased automation, like Auto enhance and one-click white balance, along with the ability to balance for skin tones and grays. It now allows custom sort orders in the Projects view as well. And there's the usual assortment of fi... [Read more]

Will Sprint launch a Google Wallet competitor?

Sprint is working on a mobile-payment service that could take on Google Wallet and countless other competitors in the marketplace, according to a new report.

Android Central yesterday posted two images it claims show how Sprint's mobile-payment service will work. Based on the images in the slides, the service will force users to enter a pass code to access their wallet, input information, and make payments. In addition to credit card support, the images seem to indicate that the service, called Touch Wallet, according to Android Central, will support "loyalty cards."

Android Central's report comes just a couple of days after NFC Times cited its own sources who said that Sprint would launch its mobile-payment platform as early as this summer. However, that report claims the app will only be called "Touch."

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(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

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If you're looking for a way to share Internet connectivity from one of your Android devices to another tablet or laptop, this guide can help you. Open Garden is an app that will broadcast your Internet signal to devices around you via Bluetooth, in hopes of creating a seamless mesh network. The idea behind the app is to make the connection process easier so you can spend more time being productive or surfing the Web. Here's how to get connected:

Install Open Garden on your mobile device that has a connection to the Internet. This would be your mobile network, i.e., 3G or 4G service. If Bluetooth is not enabled, you will see a pop-up asking for permission to turn it on.

Next, install Open Garden on the device to which you need to... [Read more]

Songza guesses what you might be doing at any given time of day, then offers up suitable playlists.

Five o'clock. Quitting time. I'm stressed after a long day of writing. I want to unwind to some mellow tunes, maybe a little acoustic guitar.

Six a.m. Time to hit the treadmill. I need a playlist that'll get my blood pumping and my feet moving. Maybe some progressive house music courtesy of dance community Beatport.

Sunday afternoon by the pool. Let's face it, nothing beats the latest pop hits from the likes of Adele, Katy Perry, and Hot Chelle Rae.

I could build playlists for all these situations, but who's got time for that? What I need is a music concierge, someone who can put together a playlist based on any given activity: exercising, chilling out, working, and so on.

That's Songza (Android | iOS) in a nutshell. First previewed back in April, my new favorite app works like Pandora in that it streams music based on my personal preferences, but focuses on situations rather than individual songs and artists. And it's not ... [Read more]

Nokia Web map of the San Francisco Bay area.

Microsoft and Nokia have made it clear that their partnership extends beyond the operating system that is bundled into a device. And with the launch of Windows Phone 8, that will be apparent, according to a new report.

WP Central is reporting today that Microsoft will replace Bing Maps with Nokia Maps in Windows Phone 8. With Nokia Maps' help, the platform will deliver 3D navigation and hardware acceleration. More importantly, according to WP Central, Nokia Maps will be available on Windows Phone-based devices, and not just those from Nokia.

There have been reports in the past of Nokia branding coming to all Windows Phone devices through the platform's maps feature. In fact, back in January, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop told tech site Pocket-lint in an interview that users will start "seeing the word 'Nokia' on a map that you get from Microsoft properties over a period of time."

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MacBook Pro with Retina Display: Hands-on

Those of you who've managed to score one of the new MacBook Pros have your first update to install.

Available for download on Apple's Web site, the MacBook Pro (Mid 2012) Software Update 1.0 includes fixes that "improve graphics stability, external display support, and USB 3.0 device support" and is recommended for all the mid-2012 MacBook Pro models launched at yesterday's Worldwide Developers Conference.

The new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models received beefier specs in the form of the Ivy Bridge processor, higher-end graphics, and more hard drive options. The screen resolution remains the same, as do the prices.

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