The Lockheed U2 is an amazing plane, developed to spy enemy countries by the CIA and the United States Air Force. Flying at 70,000 feet, the U2 can fly day or night, rain or sun, photographing ground facilities on very short notice, something that satellites can't do. It was created in the 50s, flying for the first time in 1955, and despite some being shot down over the Soviet Union, Cuba, and China, the fleet is still in use today. In fact, the successful design outlasted the SR-71 and the secret A-12 CIA spy plane, and will keep flying till 2014 or even later. [Wikipedia]

Based on a Hoberman Sphere, the criss-crossed network of aluminum, 25km of cables, and 888 LED screens is comprised of more than 1 million different pieces and 500,000 RGB pixels. When fully expanded, the seven-story shape swallows up the band with more than 3,800 square feet of space. It is assembled in a mere eight hours, and will be on tour with the band for 18 months.

The real kudos goes to the design team however, which consists of Willie Williams, Mark Fisher, Frederic Opsomer, and Chuck Hoberman (concept); and the folks at Innovative Design, Barco and Hoberman Associates.

Those large pylons in the larger pic are part of "the Claw," which holds the structure up during the performance. Larger still, and only partially seen in the image, is Bono's ego, whose immense size remains immeasurable. [Live Design via Lucept]

This little nugget of Apple envy was pointed out by TechCrunch, and I will have to agree that the similarities are pretty obvious. What's more striking is U2's willingness to play the corporate field. Bono is a founder of Elevation Partners, a company with a major stake in Palm. U2 has also been heavily involved with Apple in the past and their new concert tour is sponsored by RIM. Three major rivals...I hope they all wore protection. [TechCrunch]

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Bono, schmobono. I still prefer LED Pac Man running over Addy's tits. And LED Pac Man over her breasts won't damage anyone's eyes, unlike lasers. In fact, my theory is that her LED'ed breasts may even cure the blind. UnLED'ed too.

Update: Moritz Waldemeyer wrote to us to tell us that the lasers were harmless, perfectly "safe class 2M lasers that have been defocused for additional safety." OK, Moritz, but would they cure the blind like LED'ed breasts? I didn't think so. [Waldemyer via Dezeen]

He says that with RIM's labs and people "we can do something really spectacular." When asked if this means we can look forward to a special U2 app—perhaps in the App World!—Bono replied, "You're not far off."

Man, a custom Bono-loaded BlackBerry would not be spectacular. Not at all. Even if it was a Product REDBerry that saved lives or whatever. A John Mayer BlackBerry, however, that I could get behind. Even if was just a regular BlackBerry that he had merely brushed past with his soft, milky skin. [Globe and Mail via BGR]

Naturally, the fan sped home and put them on YouTube, meaning by now you can find them at all of the usual online venues. The leaked songs include the album's title track, apparently called "No Line On The Horizon" (puke) and the first single, "Sexy Boots." Of course, the bootlegs probably sound like they were recorded inside Bono's ass, but let this be a lesson to Bono about forcing your music upon the world. Someone will steal it and give it away, even if it's not very good. [The Sun via Torrent Freak]

For instance, the display, now LED backlit, shaves 1/3 the weight off traditional LCDs all while burning through less battery. A 32GB solid state hard drive is more durable, responsive and, also, energy efficient. Neither of these technologies are ground breaking, having made their first appearance in other laptops before, but when placed in a smaller form factor, you get a premium system that weighs just 2.75lbs. And the "seamless" webcam/display integration and the leather detailing become the cherry on top. No word on price at the moment, but we estimate the price to be around that of Bono's golden...self-portrait-on-ass underwear heart. [fareastgizmos]

Product Page [Apple]
Apple quietly updates U2 iPod, lowers price [iLounge]

Product Page [DLO]

Like its predecessor, its back is engraved with U2's signatures, and now that the iPod can play video, it includes an iTunes Music Store coupon for a 30-minute video with music and interviews. Now available for $329. – Charlie White

Product Page [Apple]

Red iPod Incoming [T3]

Thing is, I think they got everything right but the date. The pink nano, and the obligatory discount on Madonna's greatest hits collection, is next month's Apple announcement. It's worth noting that the U2 iPod quietly left the Apple store for a place with no name. (Not that anyone noticed amidst the hoopla with Bono on the new iPod screen.) But it does fit that Jobs would introduce another celebrity-endorsed audio player, along with that discount for the iTunes store, about a year after the U2 iPod came out.

But what color pink? And won't Motorola be seeing red given that their pink RAZR is supposed to be the hot celebrity tote of the season? Oh, I get flush just thinking about it.