TVs and smartphones steal the spotlight at IFA

This year's IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin offered smartphones, tablets, 4K TVs, a much-anticipated smartwatch, and new spins on the camera.

Consumer electronics manufacturers from all over the world headed to the annual expo, which is as much a launch pad for products ahead of the year-end sales period as it is a chance to strut their tech stuff with the latest developments by their engineers.

Samsung Galaxy Gear

Samsung launched a new version of the Galaxy Note as well the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, while Sony showed its new flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1. Both had been the subject of rumors and leaks before IFA began, so their appearance was expected.

The Gear, which has a 1.6-inch screen, was met with mixed reactions. Some liked its futuristic functionality while others were reserving judgement on the new product sector until the devices become smaller and offer more functions.

Cameras have come to play a more important role as smartphone makers try to differentiate their products. The Note 3 and the Liquid S2 from Acer can both record 4K Ultra HD videos using their 13-megapixel cameras. While Sony has put a 20.7-megapixel sensor in the Xperia Z1.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

The Liquid S2 has a 6-inch screen and will compete with the Note 3, which has a 5.7-inch display, and other products from the likes of LG Electronics and Sony. The number of phones with screens in the 5-inch class or larger continues to grow as some consumers are warming to the large displays.

Sony also showed an interesting new take on the digital camera with its QX10 and QX100 "lens cameras." They are essentially compact digital still cameras without screens and control buttons. Instead of a camera body they are attached to the back of Android-based smartphones and iPhones, which provide the viewfinder and camera controls.

TVs have long been a key part of IFA, and this year was no different. LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sony and other vendors all showed 4K, OLED, and curved TVs of various sizes. But precious few will be able to afford sets like 77-inch Ultra HD curved OLED TV.

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Java security will be in the spotlight at JavaOne

If Oracle's JavaOne show plans are any indication, the company is very serious about educating developers on how to make their Java applications secure.

Sessions planned for next month's annual Java technical conference include "Dissecting Java Malware," "The State of Java Web Container Security," and "One Year of Security Enhancements in the JRE (Java Runtime Environment)." One session description, for a talk entitled, "Java Security: Bringing Trust to Your Java Application," flat out acknowledges the bad press Java has been receiving lately. "Recently there has been a lot of press about Java vulnerabilities and security -- giving Java a bad rap," the description reads. "The reality is that the Java platform and language were built with security in mind." This session is to be conducted by a VeriSign employee.

Java's security maladies have included zero-day vulnerabilities, such as arbitrary, unsecure class loading in Java SE (Standard Edition). Some experts advised uninstalling Java plug-ins in browsers to boost security. Java's travails even prompted a bulletin from the US Department of Homeland Security earlier this year. JavaOne actually features a session entitled "Anatomy of a Java Zero-Day Exploit," to be conducted by an engineer from Carnegie-Mellon.

Oracle, for its part, has been quick to issue security patches for Java and has advised users to upgrade to the latest Java versions. Oracle, which inherited the stewardship of Java when the company acquired Sun Microsystems early in 2010, will continue Java security damage control at JavaOne. The conference is being held in San Francisco from Sept. 22-26, concurrent with the Oracle OpenWorld conference.

Besides security, other JavaOne highlights scheduled include a focus on developing Java applications for the Microsoft Windows Azure cloud, with a Microsoft official conducting a session on it. Coding for desktop and mobile via HTML5 and Java EE 7 also will be covered, as will JavaScript on the JVM (Java Virtual Machine) via the Nashorn project, and developing with Java for Apple iOS and Google Android via Oracle ADF (Application Development Framework).

Attendees also will have the opportunity to meet Oracle's Java language team and look into the "JVM Crystal ball," as one session description puts it. NoSQL database technology will be examined at the conference, along with other JVM languages, such as Groovy and Scala. Red Hat and Oracle officials will conduct a session on interoperability in Java EE 7.

This story, "Java security will be in the spotlight at JavaOne," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.

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