Sun Microsystems has agreed to purchase the intellectual property catalogue of mobile developer SavaJe. 

The move will give Sun full control over SavaJe's mobile Java platform, which allows vendors to build applications and interfaces for smartphones and mobile devices using Java.

The software won the Device of Show award at last year's JavaOne conference.  

SavaJe had fallen on hard times in recent months and the company was said to be strapped for cash.

SavaJe was formed in 1999 by a group of former Lucent researchers. The firm is based in Massachusetts and is privately held.

Sun said that it will outline its plans for the SavaJe software at this year's JavaOne conference in San Francisco.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Sun expects the purchase to be finalised by the end of its fiscal quarter in June.