New research suggests demand for environmentally-friendly devices will power sales of "green" phones in the coming years. A recent study by ABI Research found that nearly half of U.S. consumers would choose a green handset over a conventional phone if price, features and performance were the same.

During eBay's third-quarter conference call last week, CEO John J. Donahue highlighted mobile commerce as an area where the e-tailing giant is innovating to help boost sales. He pointed out that the eBay iPhone app has been downloaded more than 4 million times, is expected to generate more than half a billion in gross merchandise value this year.

In an interview with The Telegraph (UK) this week, Twitter CEO Evan Williams made it clear mobile is where the microblogging service has the best chance to build a business model. Given that most Twitter traffic is already driven by handheld devices, Williams confidence that mobile holds the key to the company's future isn't surprising.

Despite the well-publicized problems AT&T has had handling the surge of data traffic from iPhone users, the Apple device continues to be a new customer magnet for the wireless carrier. Announcing third-quarter earnings this morning, AT&T said it activated a record 3.2 million iPhones during the period. Of those, 40% were new subscribers to AT&T. Overall, the carrier added 2 million subscribers in the quarter for a total of 81.6 million.

After making its much-anticipated debut Tuesday, the new Barnes & Noble e-reader is already being described as a "Kindle-Killer" by tech experts and enthusiasts. Online reviewers have clearly been wowed by the sleek-looking Nook, sporting a 3.5 inch color multi-touch screen control panel below the main 6-inch reading screen.

Barnes & Noble is expected to formally launch its own e-book reader Tuesday, featuring a color display and touchscreen and priced the same as Amazon.com's Kindle at $259, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Verizon Wireless' audacious new TV ad that aired over the weekend takes direct aim at the iPhone, and has already sparked a backlash in the tech blogosphere. Ticking off a list of features or functions not found on the iPhone, the 30-second spot announces the Motorola Droid, the new Android 2.0-powered smartphone that Verizon will release next month. "Everything iDont, Droid Does" is the tag line. By challenging the signature Apple device so openly, the consensus is that Verizon is only setting itself up for failure when the Droid fails to live up to the hype as yet another would-be …

Apple's decision to allow free App Store applications to capitalize on in-app transactions is welcome news to developers. Until now, the option to sell content, subscriptions and digital services within apps was only open to paid ones. As a result, makers of premium apps began offering both full paid and free (light) versions of their software.

After inviting questions this week about all things mobile, Google has posted answers to some of the most popular queries on its mobile blog. Just turning to the Google search box would probably prove more illuminating than the company's attempt at providing human-powered responses.

No wonder there's been a backlash to PepsiCo's "apology" for the iPhone app promoting its Amp Energy drink that promises to help men "score" with different types of women by offering pick-up lines and the ability to track conquests. Responding to the deluge of criticism the app has drawn for being sexist and stereotyping women, Amp and Pepsi issued a mea culpa via Twitter, reading "Our app tried to show the humorous lengths guys go 2 to pick up women. We apologize if it's in bad taste & appreciate your feedback."