App dev: Microsoft unveils a code-sharing Web site, dubbed CodePlex, that it claims will serve as a forum for both Microsoft code and code from other developers. Jon Rosenberg, director of community source programs at Microsoft, had this to say: “We’re actually establishing a venue for the development community to collaborate with us and feed back into these projects,” adding that code contributed to the site can be posted under any licensing terms. Podcasts: Zero Day author Bob Garza speaks with the CEO of Privaris, Barry Johnson, about his company’s new biometric device, which in Garza’s words “opens several types of doors, all with a push of a button and a swipe of a finger.” Listen here. Security: Microsoft warns of exploit code that targets a flaw in its Remote Access Connection Manager service. Although the company rated the bug as critical, it says that most firewalls will block it. The news beat: Intel sells its communications unit to Marvell for $600 million, saying that the move is part of its efforts to hone core business and ratchet up the competition with rival AMD. When Sony launches the Vaio U next week, it won’t have a hard-disk; rather the company’s smallest laptop will be one of the first to tap flash memory instead of magnetic storage. And Blinkx makes amateur clips the focus of its video search. Software Development