Millward Brown Optimor, part of the WPP group, has just published the 2011 edition of its BrandZ report. It's the sixth annual edition of the report, which details the world's "Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands".

It notes that the world’s best brands appear to have recovered from the recession at a faster rate than their competitors. The combined value of the Top 100 brands this year is calculated at $2.4 trillion, more than Great Britain's GDP.

Mark Bridge writes:

It's time for another round-up of the week's mobile industry news.

Two of the recurring themes we've encountered in the last few months are legal action and partnerships. This week's legal story involves a conflict between Huawei and ZTE, while the partnership news sees RIM working with Microsoft. Yes, you may well raise your eyebrows. It seems Nokia-loving Microsoft is also a friend of the BlackBerry.

The International Data Corporation has reported that the worldwide mobile phone market grew 19.8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2011, with smartphones gaining in popularity. A total of 371.8 million mobile devices were shipped in Q1 of 2011, compared with 310.5 million units in the first quarter of 2010.

In terms of overall market share, Nokia remained in the lead with 29.2%, followed by Samsung, LG, Apple and ZTE.

Last week we reported that Distimo had forecast Google's Android Marketplace overtaking Apple to become the world's largest app store in around five months, based on the number of apps available.

research2guidance has just published its own predictions - and it puts a similar timeline on events, anticipating Android Market becoming the world's biggest mobile content platform by August 2011.

Mobile payment system provider DigiMo has announced a new platform that provides what it describes as "the first true mobile payment solution".

The service can be offered by online companies, credit card providers or mobile operators. Consumers would simply register for the service online, providing their mobile phone number and payment details. They'd then be given a PIN to use when paying at participating retailers.