Bono on your Blackberry. Could there be a cooler combination?

If you’re a U2 fanatic, today is an exciting day. Research In Motion is reportedly teaming with superstar recording group U2 for the release of a new mobile album.

For now, all reports are light on details. A blurb on BlackBerry.com, however, gives a quick synopsis of what appears to be a “U2 App” with music, photos, tour info and a few other morsels of insider information. As soon as more details are made available, you will be among the first to know if you sign up for an email notification on the status of the project.

Earlier this year, U2’s band manager Paul McGuiness foreshadowed “new and innovative ways to enhance the mobile music experience on the BlackBerry platform for U2 fans.”

The comments heightened speculation that a mobile album was in the works and we can now confirm the accuracy of those earlier suspicions.

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It seems like a match made in mobile heaven.

Monitise has announced a “global strategic alliance agreement” with Visa International Service Association, a subsidiary of Visa Inc.

The reported five-year agreement combines “Visa’s unmatched reach, payments expertise and trusted brand with the Monitise Mobile Money platform and toolkit.”

Basically, Monitise will be an enormously helpful vehicle for Visa’s already teeming offering of mobile services (including payments, transaction alerts and special offers) by providing support and even greater reach to the millions of Visa customers with mobile phones.

Although not many details have yet emerged, the news of the partnership is considered significant and an incredibly beneficial arrangement for Visa, which in recent months, has found increased competition in the mobile marketing realm from both Mastercard and American Express.

According to the announcement by Monitise, the five year contract value amounts to $13 million dollars.

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A major lawsuit is rocking the mobile world.

ASCAP, a performance rights organization abbreviated for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, isn’t happy with AT&T.

The organization claims that the ringtones supported by AT&T violates performance and copyright law when they are played in public.

As a result, ASCAP has filed suit against AT&T.

Although mobile carriers and content providers pay songwriters and music copyright owners a license fee to carry the downloadable ringtones, ASCAP contends it isn’t enough and that additional royalties are due.

Now.

The legal eagles are weighing in on both sides at this hour. And while it isn’t clear exactly what will happen, it’s unlikely that consumers will be deprived of their beloved ring tones as a result of the suit.

After all, if we want to listen to “Ice Ice Baby” when we’re in the middle of grocery shopping and our mom calls, that’s our prerogative entirely.

Not that I would know anything about that.

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On Friday, FLO TV will debut on the small screen.

But it’s a small screen that’s bigger than the smaller screen they’re famous for.

This Friday, Qualcomm’s mobile broadcast subsidiary FLO TV will expand its service nationally.

It’s a move that’s been in the making for quite some time, one that comes hand in hand with
DTV transition, which provides the the broadband spectrum vital for the FLO mobile TV network.

As it stands, FLO TV will reach 39 new domestic markets with a potential audience of 200 million everywhere from Boston to San Francisco.

And that’s just the beginning.

By the end of this year, FLO TV is expected to see the light of day in at least one hundred markets.

As you may recall, FLO TV had no choice but to postpone its national debut after federal lawmakers delayed the switch to DTV from Feb. 17 to June 12.

The big moment is finally upon us.

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After last night’s performance on the first installment of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, all eyes are on are Pearl Jam today in the wake of news that the ledgends of rock may have big - and  somewhat unexpected - plans in the mobile realm.

After ending their nearly two-decade long affiliation with the Sony music, Pearl Jam’s forthcoming album, Backspacer, was initially believed to be planned only for release in stores and carry no mobile affiliation with any wireless carriers or digital platforms.

Not so fast.

Although nothing is confirmed and we’re dealing almost exclusively with rumors, there is reason to believe that Verizon Wireless will soon announce a deal to distribute music from the new album. After all, only a few months ago Verizon’s V Cast Music introduced a series of exclusive full-track downloads for the digitally remastered edition of Pearl Jam’s 1991 debut album.

With both the relationship and opportunity present, rumbings persist that Pearl Jam and Verzon wireless will soon announce yet another joint venture.

Stay tuned.

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With Google’s interest in securing a section of the upcoming wireless spectrum that becomes available after the digital switch, there’s been some speculation that the main intention on Google’s mind is to offer a free nationwide wifi network based on the high-power frequencies usually reserved for television.

Not long ago, Google submitted a six-page letter to the FCC outlining processes and tests to avoid interference on the frequencies in question, which was a major concern to the FCC. Google also promised to reserve some frequencies to be used not for wireless Internet and provide free tech support for people using their WiFi.� It looks as though they’re laying the groundwork to dovetail nicely with the launch of upcoming Android handsets.� That is if the FCC and the privacy groups don’t interfere.

If Google can control the network, as well as the handset software, and combine it with their core search engine knowledge, it will post serious privacy concerns regarding the vast amount of personal data and pure information Google would control.� Since Google’s number one goal is to generate a larger footprint to incorporate it’s advertising models into, it obviously makes sense that it would want to place itself at all levels of the process, but controlling and managing that much information could cause problems.

On the other hand, the benefits are enormous in terms of both advertising revenue for Google, and the fact that everyone would have access to a completely free wifi network that’s available anywhere, anytime.� It would take a ton of testing and configuring to make sure it’s secure and stable enough for widespread adoption, but exciting to think about nonetheless.� We’ll see what happens…

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I’m not convinced that Google walked away empty handed Mike, I think this is maybe what they wanted short of a totally open Internet like mobile network. Android is going to be the vehicle to deliver the Google products and if I read your C-Block Winners Chart correctly, that’s the entire US for Verizon.

Google just needs to ensure that the right measures are taken so that Android meets the minimum manufacturing standards guideline to be eligible to access that network.

Even if Verizon creates a 2 tiered network as Erick indicates, Google should still get into the mix at the lower tier and they didn’t have to put up a few Billion to get it.

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