Remember the whole Gizmodo-iPhone-leak controversy? Today, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the San Mateo County D.A. has withdrawn the warrant obtained to search the house of Gizmodo’s Jason Chen.

iOS4, the recently announced new version of Apple’s mobile operating system is due out today. Users of devices that utilize this OS are no doubt anxious to get it, but they shouldn’t have to wait much longer. Although as Brad McCarty at The Next Web points out, "Bear in mind, iPhone OS 3 (released last year) took the better part of the day to hit the public."

One of the largest computer manufacturers in the world is quite interested in Google’s operating systems, according to a representative.  A Dell exec in fact indicated today that his company is in talks with Google and wants to help break new ground.

Courtesy of Dell, it looks like Android will be paired with a couple of somewhat large and advanced devices in the near future.  A leaked Dell roadmap indicates that both a netbook tablet and a true netbook will launch later this year.

Dell appears to be going with a sort of ancient Greece theme in terms of giving these devices codenames, dubbing them Sparta (the netbook tablet) and Athens (the true netbook).  It doesn’t appear that the company is in any way creating antiquated gear, though.

The global PC market saw double-digit growth in the fourth quarter, led by strong U.S. holiday sales of low-cost netbooks, according to the latest report by IDC.

Dell seems to have achieved a very good understanding of Twitter and social media in general.  This morning, a representative shared some statistics regarding the hardware manufacturer’s achievements, and by most standards, they’re extremely impressive.

Dell said today it plans to introduce smartphones based on Google’s Android platform in Brazil and China.

The company said it plans to sell its new Mini 3 smartphones through China Mobile, the largest telecommunications firm in the world with more than 500 million customers, and Claro, which has more than 42 million customers in Brazil as part of the America Movil network.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has announced that Dell and its subsidiary, Dell Financial Services (DFS), have agreed to pay his office $4 million in restitution, penalties and costs to settle charges of fraudulent and deceptive business practices that scammed consumers in the state.

Dell is continuing to have success using Twitter to drive sales.

Last December the company announced it had surpassed $1 million in sales via its @DellOutlet on Twitter. Since 2007 Dell says its presence on Twitter has earned it more than $2 million in revenue.

While many businesses are trying to work out how to make money from Twitter, computer maker Dell shows what they have done to validate Twitter as a credible business tool.

Earlier this month, Dell launched a subsite specifically tailored to attract a female clientele. But apparently, Dell was wearing the wrong outfit, because the relationship between Dell and Della was a short-lived affair. In fact, if you go to the link for the Della site, you are automatically redirected to Dell’s Lifestyle home page, making it appear that Della never even existed in the first place.

We have all heard about Twitter and Dell. A customer service coup of sorts that jacked up sales with a claim in December of ’08 that $ 1 million in sales could be contributed to Twitter efforts.

Twitter fans, advertisers, and people who are in the market for a refurbished computer should take note: in what represents a potential win for all of you, Dell has decided to offer certain deals exclusively through one of its 80 Twitter properties.

Steve Ballmer didn’t drop many jaws with his keynote speech at CES yesterday; for better or for worse, he didn’t confirm or deny rumors about Zune phones, deals with Yahoo, or 15,000 layoffs.  Still, Microsoft’s CEO got into some interesting stuff, touching on the subjects of Windows 7, search, and a top social network.

While Twitter lacks a business model it does not mean other businesses can’t take advantage of the microblogging service by using it to spread their message.

After failing to spend $45 billion to acquire Yahoo–in order to compete with Google–Microsoft finds itself with money burning a hole in its corporate pocket.

Dell thought they could take the phrase "cloud computing" and keep it for themselves. It appears (for the time being at least) that they will have no such luck.

The company filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to trademark the term, but its request has ultimately been denied because it has been established as a generic term.

 I really like seeing how organizations experiment with social media, especially those who keep on pushing those envelopes and invite us to get involved and see what happens during such experimentation.

Like Dell.

Global PC shipments hit 71.9 million in the second quarter of 2008, a 16 percent increase over the same time period in 2007, according to Gartner.

PC shipments in the United States reached 16.5 million in the second quarter, a 4.2 percent increase from 2007. PC shipments rose during the quarter, despite the sliding economy. This was due to vendors cutting prices on PCs due to economic conditions.

Dell, the number two PC maker in the world says that within five years two- thirds of its sales will come from overseas.

Increasing demand from Asia and other emerging markets along with growth in the UK and Europe is broadening Dell’s sales beyond the U.S., the company said. An executive at the company said that international sales were growing much faster than its domestic market.

Do you use the web to complain about poor customer service? (Maybe I should say "thanks," because you keep me busy with reputation management clients).

Well, if you do, you’re not alone. According to a new study by Society for New Communications Research 59% of respondents said they regularly use social media to "vent" about a poor customer service experience.