How much gear is attached to the edges of our global ICT infrastructure? Our latest estimate yields over 13 billion items, driven by mobile devices.

There appears to be little consistent information for evaluating manufacturer claims about green phones and other mobile devices and much of that is dated*. Here's what we found.

The iPhone4 has a number of positive sustainability features, but Apple offers no evidence that it "embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress." The phone's Environmental Status Report on its specs page appears to have been cut and pasted from previous models.

Apple's iPad, e-readers like Kindle, and smart phones lack the storage capacity of even a netbook, necessitating connection to a cloud of data and applications. iPhone users are already placing unprecedented demands on the cloud, it is likely that users of the iPad and other new devices and services will accelerate the trend. How clean are these clouds?

Apple launched the iPad claiming it is is free of arsenic, BFR (Brominated Flame Retardants), mercury, and PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). Greenpeace recently recognized Apple as the consumer electronics company that has done the most to eliminate harmful chemicals from its products. (Why it is important to eliminate PVC/BFR from e-gear.)

The "Environmental Status Report" on the lower left of the iPad tech specs page touts its "recyclable aluminum and glass enclosure", but the iPad is not yet included in the "Apple Recycling Program". Presumably, there will not be a pressing need to recycle iPads for a while. It's another story if irrational exuberance in iPad consumption accelerates the disposal of older devices.*

Here's a guide to go about finding the greenest e-gear. It's not as easy as it sounds!

Proposed California Energy Commission (CEC) regulations to improve television set energy efficiency by 49% could mean significant changes to its consumer electronics market and possibly that of the United States as a whole. This activity comes at a time when the International Energy Agency is expressing concern about the energy/carbon implications of global television set ownership soaring past the two billion level.

E-devices are so pervasive in our lives that we might not consider the full potential of personal e-waste reduction. The British weighed in with a law that, according to Discover magazine, expands the e-waste definition to include electrical 'adult toys'. Individual manufacturers are also offering green devices.

Earth Hour is an initiative sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund and others to raise awareness about global warming by asking individuals, municipalities, and businesses to turn off their lights for one hour (8:30PM local time, 28 Mar). Turning off our personal computers and e-devices appears to be a more complicated issue.