Briefly: Dell returns, MS Zune exec departs

Briefly: With a bleak outlook and facing a growing assault by rival Hewlett-Packard, Dell ex-CEO Michael Dell said he will retake control of the company he founded, following the resignation of his protégé Kevin Rollins as CEO and board member; the announcement pushed Dell shares up by 4 percent to $25.14 in after-hours trading, despite the announcement that it expects fourth-quarter results to be below average Wall Street consensus estimates of $0.32 EPS on $15.3 billion..... A key Microsoft senior executive who oversaw the release of the company's Zune media player project, which reached about 10 percent marketshare in December, has announced plans to leave to pursue personal interests: Bryan Lee, Microsoft's corporate vice president of its entertainment and devices division, also played a critical role in shaping the Xbox game console business and the introduction of its Internet Protocol television software.

Verizon defends iPhone decision

Verizon continued to defend its decision to reject an exclusive iPhone partnership during Verizon's recent conference call: "the iPhone product is something where, quite frankly, we’re happy that we’re not first to market with the iPhone," Verizon COO Dennis Strigl said.

"We think that innovation and a focus on music will benefit the whole industry," the exec said. "It really does draw attention to our data capabilities... but bottom line on the iPhone, I think we’re -- many are interested in comparing a future offering with what we have in the marketplace today: it's like comparing apples and oranges."

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