The GNU Project has released version 0.92 of GNU Classpath, an incomplete free implementation of the core Java class libraries. Version 0.9 2"is the first release that has a full graphics 2D implemenation based on Cairo enabled by default. This enables the use of applications like JEdit, FlickrBackup and JFreeChart out of the box." 0.92 also adds an applet viewer and browser plugin. GNU Classpath is published under the GPL with library exception.
TeamDev Ltd has released JNIWrapper 3.3, a $149 payware library for invoking native API calls from Java without writing your own JNI code. It runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. I have not tried this myself, but it sounds like what JNI should have been. I'm intrigued. I'd definitely evaluate this if I were doing closed source development that needed to call the native API; but since I'm not, I won't. However if anyone who is wants to take a look and let me know what they find, I'll post it here.