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More than a million 3G iPhones were sold in the U.S. in the three days following the hot new device's release, a victory not just for Apple, but also for green electronics.

Not that Apple is telling us that. But as Worldchanging recently uncovered, the new iPhone takes several strides toward being a more environmentally responsible device.

Most importantly, the iPhone's battery is no longer soldered into place. Not only is solder a potentially toxic substance, its use made it impossible for users to replace their own batteries. If an iPhone battery failed, owners had to ship their devices back to Apple to be fixed, or just throw them out. So, no solder automatically means less toxic waste.

By the way, Apple also brags that the iPhone's battery life exceeds that of other 3G devices. Duly noted.

Worldchaging found a few other changes that make this new iPhone greener than previous versions: "...the handset, headphones and USB cable are all now PVC-free. The circuit board is produced without bromine. The LCD is made sans mercury" All of which is good news.

Of course, a huge percentage of those million iPhones were replacements for older devices. What happened to the old phones? Let's hope they were recycled properly. (See my earlier article, "How to Recyle Your Old Cell Phone.")