Dell has made a promise to open source its Streak code. Dell’s official blogger Lionel Menchaca says that Dell will meet “all applicable requirements” in due time. The version of Android 1.6 used by Dell is based on a Linux kernel and fits under the GNU Public License (GPL), which requires that it open-source any new code.

Without Dell’s custom portions of software, programmers haven’t had access to the drivers and other code that speaks to the Streak’s hardware. There is no deadline for when code must be published, but it’s usually assumed code will be available immediately or shortly before any hardware or software ships.

Dell’s Inspiron Mini 1018 netbook has finally made its way across the pond to our friends in Europe. Looks like the touchpad has separate left and right buttons, while the processor gets a slight bump to an Intel Atom N455 1.66GHz chip with support for DDR3 memory.

Those changes come with a regular 10.1-inch display at 1024 x 600 resolution, 1GB RAM, a 160GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter Edition. You can pick it up for around 279 Euros and above, depending on the configuration.

Dell is cooking up some more Android devices and the latest to make its debut is the Android-powered Dell Blaze. The Blaze looks like an entry-level phone with features to match. We don’t have many details, but sadly we do know that this device is apparently running Android 1.5.

We can only hope that Dell will up their game and offer some devices with more recent versions of Android. Come on Dell, the Dell Streak was released with just Android 1.6.

Pictures and a video of the upcoming Android-powered Dell Thunder tablet have surfaced, giving us some hints of what is to come from the device. According to the leak, the device features an 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash, 720p video recording capabilities, and a removable 1,400mAh battery.

The device pictured is running the vanilla Android 2.1, but it will likely offer a custom skin from Dell when it’s released. The screen resolution of the 4.1-inch display is most likely 800 x 480 pixels and an OLED panel.

Dell has made us wait with a long delay, but now the company is finally ready to start selling the Streak this Friday to everybody. If you choose a new two-year contract through AT&T, it will cost you $299.99. On the other hand, if it’s freedom you desire, it will cost you $549.99.

If you signed up for the pre-sale, you can place your order a day earlier on the 12th. Sadly, it looks like it’ll be launching with Android 1.6, nothing newer. Hopefully a 2.1 update with 720p video capture arrives quickly.

If you’ve got money, Dell’s got the computer. Dell’s new Studio XPS 9100 features Intel’s 3.33GHz Core i7-980X processor, which should give you enough processing power to do whatever you want. You can get it in various configurations, and prices start at $945.

Some configurations include: Intel Core i7 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate, Up to 24GB RAM, Up to 4TB storage space, Blu-ray and DVD burner options, Gigabit Ethernet, Wireless b/g/n, Built-in card reader and Radeon HD 5970 graphics card.

Dell has had the Studio XPS 1645 notebook on the market for several months now. The device has known throttling issues in some usage scenarios.

Dell has offered a solution to the problem that includes a new BIOS and a replacement power supply. The throttling issue was found to be related to the low power output of the power supply according to Dell.

Dell was hit with allegations by the SEC that it had improperly disclosed and used improper accounting when reporting finances between 2001 and 2006. The SEC filed suit against Dell seeking damages because of the alleged practices.

Dell set aside a fund with $100 million to settle the case previously. Dell Inc has announced that the SEC has accepted the $100 million settlement offer and that Dell is neither admitting nor denying the charges filed against it.

Microsoft’s lineup of partners for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 launch is impressive. Microsoft has confirmed that Dell and HTC will be making Windows Phone 7 phones, as well as ASUS, LG, and Samsung.

All of these companies should have their stamp firmly in place on the hardware by the end of the year. The launch of the OS is slated for the “holidays.” These are good partners to have for this OS. We are really looking forward to what they deliver. Expectations are high for this one.

The Dell Streak is so well known it’s as if it’s been available in the US for some time now. In fact, it’s odd that we still don’t have a US release date for Dell’s Streak. Dell isn’t talking.

However, the company’s US product page has been updated to say: “available for purchase in late July.” It would have been nice to get more of a heads up, but at least it is already late July, making your wait a small one.

Dell has partnered with Major League Baseball to celebrate the 2010 MLB All Star Game. Players and members of the coaching staff were each given a Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook that came customized with MLB Teams, featuring fan artwork from the Dell Design Studio.

MLB fans can personalize their notebooks with one of 95 different MLB team designs. An optional Digital TV Tuner will allow owners to watch highlights of the games while watching the actual live games. The lid designs, available on Dell’s Mini and Studio laptops, range from subtle team logos in one corner to full-cover designs that scream fanatic.

According to Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, there are several Windows 7 tablets coming. Ballmer made the remarks at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference today. We knew that Windows 7 tablets were coming. We already know about the Asus Eee Pad after all. But in addition to Asus, Ballmer also mentioned Dell, Samsung, Toshiba and Sony and Windows 7 tablet partners, with products on shelves “in the coming months.”

It’s pretty ambitious to announce this at this time. Apparently the idea is that they’ll be IT department-friendly, but we aren’t sure how since tablets are mostly about content and not productivity. I guess we will see soon.

Between 2003 and 2005, Dell sold millions of OptiPlex computers. According to documents, Dell knew these systems were full of dangerously faulty motherboards that might catch fire, but sold them anyway.

The NYT paints Dell as a desperate company, so hell-bent on cutting costs that they knowingly sold computers with capacitors that were sure to eventually burst and ooze all over the motherboard and they refused to fix the 1000 affected computers of the firm representing them regarding the related lawsuit. Apparently Dell was fixing these systems with the same faulty motherboard here and there.

Want to get the HTC Aria for free? Of course you do. Luckily for you, Dell is offering the HTC Aria for free, instead of having to get it for $129.99 from AT&T. Gotta be a catch right? Of course there is. You and I weren’t born yesterday, if we had been we would be sucking our thumbs and getting our arses powdered.

This deal is available only for those who want to open a new AT&T account, making it a lot less attractive than free. Existing AT&T subscribers whose plans are up and are looking for Android will need $129.99 after all.

Dell has a new selection of cables, plugs, adapters, and cases for your new Streak, which is available in the UK and will be available for us this summer. The HDMI dock may exist, but right now Dell is only listing an AV dock without going into the TV connectivity options.

There’s a kickstand-equipped wallet case, a spare battery and sync cables, and an international travel kit. Prices start at £24 ($35) and the car- and TV-enabling docks will cost you £55 ($80) each.