I have uploaded to R-forge the files for release 0.999375-13 of the
lme4 package. This version restores the names of the components in
the VarCorr object and adds the Dyestuff data from Davies and
Goldsmith (1972) - actually I think it goes back to the first edition
of that book from 1947 - and more options for the hidden function
devmat. You can now request a matrix of values whose rows are the
deviance slot (the default) or the fixef slot or the ranef slot or the
u slot.