Research In Motion said on Monday that it aims to offer a Japanese-language version of its popular BlackBerry device in the first half of 2007. RIM aims to expand its BlackBerry lineup in Japan after it begins selling its first English-language model through Japan’s biggest mobile-phone operator, NTT DoCoMo, on Tuesday. The model, aimed mainly at business users, displays Japanese characters but does not allow their input.

When William Talcott, a prominent San Francisco poet, died in June, he apparently took his email password to the grave. It’s a vexing, and increasingly common problem for families mourning the loss of loved ones. As more and more people move their lives, address books, calendars, financial information, online, they are taking a risk that some information formerly filed away in folders and desks might never be recovered. That is, unless they share their passwords, which poses security threats.

Moixa Energy has announced its innovative new range of rechargeable batteries that can be powered up using a USB connection. The USBCELL batteries can charge from any USB port. The top of the battery pops open to reveal a connector, but when fully charged the cell can be used just like any other battery. Currently available only in the AA format, the range will shortly offer all standard formats, phone and camera batteries.

Apple Computer has shipped a critical AirPort update to correct a trio of security flaws that put Wi-Fi-enabled Mac systems at risk of code execution attacks. The patch comes almost two months after the public disclosure of the threat at the Black Hat Briefings and brings an end to a raging controversy over claims by two security researchers that Apple’s MacBook was vulnerable to the flaw.

The California attorney general said on Friday there was no evidence yet linking Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Mark Hurd to any criminal wrongdoing, as scrutiny grew over his role in the PC maker’s probe of a boardroom leak. “We don’t yet have any evidence that would lead to the CEO as one of those that committed the crimes,” Attorney General Bill Lockyer told CNBC in an interview. “But we’re not complete yet. We haven’t finished the investigation.”

Hoping to slow a growing storm of criticism over a controversial leak probe, Hewlett-Packard said that Patricia Dunn would step down immediately as chairman and board member, to be replaced by CEO Mark Hurd. However, Hurd also confirmed on Friday that he knew about several key phases of the investigation and attended meetings at which the investigation was discussed. Hurd said he was e-mailed a report summarizing the investigation but that he did not read it.

CyberMatrix has released version 2 of Project Clock CE, an easy to use project time tracking application for Windows Mobile-based PDAs. Version 2 includes several important changes and new features. The software is now supports Windows Mobile 5. Reports can now be filtered for a specific client, project, or task. Clients, projects, or tasks can now be added directly from the main screen drop-down lists. Project Clock CE is made for people that must keep track of time billed to different clients or projects. This software is ideal for consultants, engineers, lawyers and other busy on-the-go professionals.

Greenlight Wireless Corporation announced that its Skweezer technology, which optimizes Web content for mobile devices, has been integrated into the mobile version of Bloglines, the online RSS aggregator. Bloglines Mobile users now view “skweezed” versions of the Web pages they access through their favorite RSS feeds. This allows Bloglines to both accelerate download speeds and present content that is easier to view and navigate on the small displays found on cell phones and PDAs.

The Commerce Department has lost 1,137 laptop computers since 2001, most of them assigned to the Census Bureau, officials said Thursday night. The Census Bureau, the main collector of information about Americans, lost 672 computers. Of those, 246 contained some personal data, the department said in a statement. However, no personal information from any of the missing computers has been known to have been improperly used, the department said. The number of people affected by the equipment losses could not be determined, the department said.

Proporta has released a selection of products to protect the popular Blackberry 8700 Series, including the Advanced Screen Protector, Aluminum case, and Proporta’s signature Alu-Leather case in both book and flip style.