Apple says no Java for you, removes plugin from browsers on OS X 10.7 and up

Apple has recently released a Mac update for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion that removes its Java plugin from all OS X browsers. If you install the update, you'll find a region labeled "Missing plug-in" in place of a Java applet; of course, Apple can't stop you from clicking on it to download a Java plug-in directly from Oracle. The Cupertino-based company had previously halted pre-installing Java in OS X partially due to the exploitable factors of the platform, so this update signifies further distancing from Larry Ellison's pride and joy.

Ubuntu 12.10 launches with web apps and search, Canonical plans for more secretive 13.04 development

An Ubuntu release is always a momentous occasion for a large portion of the Linux community, although it's coming with a mild share of controversy this time around. Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) is finished and brings with it support for pinning web apps to the Launcher as well as search that includes web results, detailed photo results and quick previews. They're all appreciated upgrades -- what's raising hackles is the development strategy for 13.04, or Raring Ringtail. Company head Mark Shuttleworth wants a "skunkworks" approach that will silence pre-release discussion of some features outside of key, trustworthy community members. While there will still be open-source code and only a light layer of secrecy, Ubuntu's progress in the near-term won't be quite as transparent as we're accustomed to with Linux. There's a good chance that most end users won't mind the difference enough to skip the download.

Google draws 25 million new building footprints in Maps, shapes up your neighborhood

The fine, well labeled lines of Google Maps may show a clean layout of your neighborhood, but without buildings, it looks too much like a two-dimensional spread of undeveloped tract housing. Google's finally filling in the gaps, outlining 25 million building footprints in cities all across the United States. Residents of Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Detroit and other cities can now see the familiar outlines of their local stomping ground on the services' mobile and desktop maps. Most of these buildings were algorithmically generated from aerial photographs,locals can pen in their own content by using Google Map Maker to add new buildings or tag their favorite local eatery. The tweak sounds minor, but it certainly makes the standard map's criss-cross of roads look more familiar.

NEC LaVie Y brings Lenovo's 360-degree IdeaPad Yoga hybrid tablet to Japan

Don't think that Lenovo is keeping the IdeaPad Yoga's bendy secrets all to itself: its Japanese partner NEC is bringing a variant of the ARM-based Yoga 11 to the land of the rising sun as the LaVie Y. The 11.6-inch blend of laptop and tablet keeps the signature 360-degree display, 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage as its more internationally-minded counterpart, and confirms that there's a quad-core Tegra 3 powering either of the Windows RT systems. What differences exist will stem from the software: there's hints of a custom NEC app on an otherwise vanilla interpretation of Microsoft's platform. The LaVie Y should precede its IdeaPad sibling by days, arriving in stores around November 22nd, although any local buyers will pay dearly for the privilege with an estimated $1,136 price. We'd suggest that patience ought to be a virtue for everyone else.

Chinese online retail giant 360buy spreads worldwide, may keep Amazon on its toes

Many of us who live in North America and Europe consider Amazon synonymous with online retail -- yet we forget that the company barely even registers in some parts of the world. That misconception is about to be cleared up now that one of China's largest online retailers, 360buy, is going global. A just-launched English version of the store is initially shipping China-made goods for free to 36 countries that include obvious candidates like Australia, Canada, the UK and the US as well as France, Germany and southeast Asia. You're unlikely to find a Kindle Fire HD equivalent in the selection, but the mix could still make Amazon nervous when the brand-agnostic can already find real bargains. Combined with long-term plans to set up local distribution points, 360 buy's international expansion could get more of us comfortable with buying from China and heat up a retail race that some thought had already been won.

Formlabs FORM 1 high-resolution 3D printer spotted in the wild, we go eyes on (video)

Last time we checked in with the 3D printing upstarts over at Formlabs, their Kickstarter was doing splendidly, having over doubled its initial funding target. Well, less than a month later, and with the money still rolling in, the current total stands (at time of writing) at a somewhat impressive $2,182,031 -- over 20 times its initial goal. When we heard that the team behind it, along with some all important working printers, rolled into town, how could we resist taking the opportunity to catch up? The venue? London's 3D print show. Where, amongst all the printed bracelets and figurines, the FORM 1 stood out like a sore thumb. A wonderfully orange, and geometrically formed one at that. We elbowed our way through the permanent four-deep crowd at their booth to take a closer look, and as the show is running for another two days, you can too if you're in town.

Evernote for Android gets new offline notebooks, widgets and more

Evernote has already revamped a few of its offerings this month, and it's now brought some changes to its Android app as well. That includes new offline notebooks for premium subscribers that'll let you download multiple notebooks in one shot, a pared down note editor toolbar, retooled Action Bars for Android tablets and a new resizable Grid Widget for your homescreen. Not surprisingly, Evernote also says that the update includes a slew of other fixes and tweaks that promise to make the app "faster and more reliable," and it's promising that there's still "lots more to come." 

Delta Six controller gets redesigned, Kick started

Most video game controllers sporting a firearm form factor are a far cry from realistic -- bright colors,odd shapes and obvious thumbsticks leave many accessories looking more like toys than weapons. Not David Kotkin's Delta Six. This gun-shaped controller's first prototype looked so much like a real rifle, Kotkin told us, it had to be redesigned. An orange tip, whitewashed body and a few less authentic looking components don't make the Delta Six look any less believable as a digital soldier's modern musket, but itdoes make it less likely to be mistaken for the real McCoy. The peripheral's internals haven't changed though -- an accelerometer to help players aim and turn, cheek-sensing pressure sensors (for looking down the scope), faux-recoil and its assortment of modular components are still all on target.

Like all budding hardware projects these days, the Delta Six is looking towards the crowd to source its production. According to the peripheral's Kickstarter page, the Delta Six will be available between July and August next year, boasting compatibility with the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U and even the OUYA. Pitching in $89 buys the basic submachine gun body (with a free rifle attachment for first-week buyers), and subsequent levels tack on additional attachments, bonus items and more. Kotkin needs $500,000 to make his rifle-shaped dream a reality. Like-minded FPS gamers can join him at the source link below. Not a dreamer? Feel free to read on for the official press release (and an additional image), instead.

The High-Tech Gooseneck Putter by Samuel DiMatteo & ... by outskirtspress

After running with other alliterative code names such as Oneiric Ocelot, Precise Pangolin and Quantal Quetzal, Canonical has announced the latest in its line of fauna-inspired Ubuntu releases -- Raring Ringtail. With version 13.04 CEO Mark Shuttleworth plans to start seriously laying the groundwork forphone, tablet and TV interfaces, which he hopes to have in place for the next LTS release in April of 2014 (14.04). Don't expect a full-fledged Ubuntu smartphone OS in six months, however, the first step will be working on core aspects of the OS, such as power and memory management, that will prove crucial to its success as a mobile platform. First though, the company needs to get through today's planned launch of 12.10, which will deliver some highly-anticipated webapp integration.

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Google Catalogs makes web-based catalog browsing a reality

For folks who prefer to get their retail therapy in digital form, Google Catalogs is a godsend. In case you forgot, it's an aggregation portal with digital catalogs from myriad merchants that lets you browse retailer wares without killing trees and now it's available on the web. When Catalogs first debuted, it was only available as a tablet app for iPad or Android. The new web-based catalog browser, however, lets users peruse wares from over 300 merchants -- including Crate&Barrel, Brookstone and even Fredrick's of Hollywood -- on any device with an internet connection. The holiday season's approaching folks, so head on down to the source and get your shopping out of the way early -- or, at least flesh out your personal wish list.

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Yandex launches its own browser targeting Russian market

How many browsers is enough? Between Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer, (not to mention, Baidu, Amazon, Maxthon, Dolphin, etc...) you'd think we'd have plenty ways to surf the web. Not according to Yandex. The Russian search company has just released its own branded browser built around a Webkit base using Chromium as a starting point. This isn't its first foray into the world of software though, it's been offering a customized version of Firefox for some time, with Yandex as the default search engine. The new entry into the crowded browser market also borrows threat scanning technology from Kaspersky and Opera's Turbo for quickly loading content on slow connections. Tigran Khudaverdyan, head of mobile services at the company, even suggested to Business Week that a mobile version was in the works. For now it's only available for OS X and Windows, however. 

ICS and Jellybean now on a quarter of all Android devices, but over half still stuck on Gingerbread

It seems like only yesterday that Google bundled Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 in its little biscuit layers and sent it off into the world (it was December, 2011, actually). That Android flavor has since climbed the charts rapidly, around four percent each month for the last while, and now occupies the ROM on 23.7 percent of robot-based devices -- up from 20.8 percent last month. That's in part due to new devices (like many in China) still coming out of the box with it, on top of older warhorses like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 finally grabbing some ICS. Meanwhile, its smooth-running younger sibling, Jelly Bean, made a slight gain to 1.8 percent of all Google-run slates and phones -- though that will likely change when the Galaxy Note II hits the market en masse and the Galaxy S III OTA 4.1.1 disseminates to all its owners. Meanwhile, Gingerbread still dominates Google OS installed devices at 55.8 percent, probably thanks to delays or denials of newer flavors to legacy devices.

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