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Nokia was rumored to be building it, but according to the WSJ Verizon Wireless ‘ first 4G handset will debut mid-2011, running on the LTE network that’s launching end of this year after Boston and Seattle guinea pigged the service. More

After years of fighting, Amazon’s infamous 1-Click patent has been (re)confirmed. In other words, if a site wants to deploy a single-click checkout system for registered customers, it’s gotta license the tech from Amazon. Oh, patents! More

It’s confirmed: Space is bubbling with the potential for life. The Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared—on board the Herschel Space Observatory —has sent a high resolution analysis of the Orion Nebula ’s chemistry. It has scientists very excited

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Blocks of Life Bubbling in the Orion Nebula [Science]

According to Jonathan Schwartz —then Sun’s CEO—that’s what Steve Jobs told him over the phone after Sun presented Looking Glass , a desktop concept similar to Mac OS X’s. After that, Schwartz put Steve in his place: “Steve, I was just watching your last presentation, and Keynote looks identical to Concurrence – do you own that IP?” Concurrence was a presentation product built by Lighthouse Design, a company I’d help to found and which Sun acquired in 1996. Lighthouse built applications for NeXTSTEP, the Unix based operating system whose core would become the foundation for all Mac products after Apple acquired NeXT in 1996

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Steve Jobs’ Threatening Phone Call to Sun CEO Revealed [Blockquote]

I forgive the dude’s overly snide narration because he just received a fake Intel Core i7 -920 processor from Newegg. A Newegg supplier, D&H Distribution , sent them 300 fake processors in a batch of 2000. And threatened sites who reported it. Several people received demonstrably fake Core i7 processors from Newegg, like the guy in this video, and reported it into HardOCP’s forums.

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A Bizarre Story: Newegg, Fake Core i7 Processors and a Cease & Desist Order [Intel]

Martian rovers with wheels are so 2009, man. And they get stuck in the sand way to easily. What we need is an army of tumbleweed beach ball robots surveying hundreds of miles of Martian surface. NASA’s on the case

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Tumbleweed Rover Ball Could Be Key to Exploring More of Mars [Mars]

This week’s New York Times Magazine looks at China’s human-flesh searches, a widespread practice in which “netizens” systematically track and harass individuals ranging from adulterers to corrupt local officials. But the searches tread a fine line between justice and revenge. To anyone familiar with 4chan , its hard to imagine internet vigilantes residing anywhere besides the darkest corners of the web. In China, however, human-flesh search engines are a common occurrence, occupying a central role in the nation’s internet culture.

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Human-Flesh Search Engines: China’s Net Vigilantism [Vigilantism]

Having read the original many times, watched multiple films and TV series, and collected every object imaginable, I must confess that I’m an Alice whore. Here’s my review of Tim Burton ’s sequel : I love it. But not on 3D.

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Review: Alice In Wonderland 3D Doesn’t Need the 3D [Review]

It was 3:59 AM Hong Kong, and Brando’s offices reeked of Vodka and sweat. The design intern cowered from the men that encircled him. “Reach into the parts bag,” one of them hissed, “and make us something we’ll like.” Silhouetted by a single yellowed bulb, with memories of design school lectures still fresh in his brain, the intern hesistated.

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Rii Mini Wireless Laser Pointer Keyboard: A Brando Story [Brando]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sony’s gearing up to take on Apple this year, with the long-awaited PSP phone and a netbook/eBook reader/PSP hybrid to fight the iPad. There aren’t extensive details available yet—including any info about pricing and specs—but we can expect to see the both the PSP phone and the PSPad sometime this year. The Sony Ericsson PSP phone, in particular, has been in the works since at least 2007 , but has met with various delays since then. As for the multifunction iPad competitor, it’s not clear exactly what form that will take

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Sony’s Mythical PSPad a Combination of the iPad and PlayStation [Rumor]