Yesterday marked a pretty big day for Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), as customers could finally walk into a Verizon store and pick up an iPhone. Some analysts had expected to see some long lines, but they did not materialize, creating the impression that the launch was less than successful, but looks can be deceiving.

It is easy to understand where the confusion comes from. In the past, whenever Apple released a new iPhone we saw long lines and often not even supply to cover the launch date demand, resulting in long waits for eager iPhone fanatics to get their hands on the new smartphone.

First we had the iPhone revolution. Now, The Financial Times reports that Apple (AAPL) is planning to expand the iPhone to handle mobile commerce, giving the company access to the multibillion-dollar transaction industry.

You are probably wondering what and how this will be done. The iPhone 5, due out this year, likely will incorporate technology called Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC incorporates financial account information and ties the data to specific devices.

According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Amazon.com (AMZN) is launching a bulk email sending service aimed at businesses and developers. The goal is to expand its Web server services.

Amazon already has huge servers. The new email service is a way to gain added revenue. The service is called Amazon Simple Email Service (SES). The program offers a free usage tier, after which customers pay 10 cents per thousand email messages sent.

One of these days, Facebook is likely to go public. But how much could its shares be worth in an initial public offering? The numbers are all over the place. From Bloomberg's estimate late last year that it was worth $25 billion to Fortune's estimate last August of $50 billion. Now, there is another report from a financial research firm, Trefis, that pegs the value at $45 billion today -- but potentially as much as $125 billion, if a few things go right.

One of the things that could go right, is coming up a with a new way to generate revenue -- and Facebook says it has a plan. It's called "sponsored stories." The company plans to pull content out of members' status updates for use in advertisements that will appear in their friends' Facebook pages.

There is quiet revolution taking place in communication. It's PC telephony. It's been around for years, but is catching the imagination of users around the world. The key driver of PC telephony is cost. Skype offers free online phone calls to any receiver who also has Skype.

Such calls require a microphone and desktop speakers. In a business setting where cubicles are adjacent to one another, the noise can be distracting.

AutoWeek reports that Ford (F) will offer a new fuel-saving technology, dubbed "start-stop," on its 2012 vehicles.

The start-stop system works by shutting off the engine when it is at idle and starting it again when the driver releases the brake or steps on the gas pedal.

A Financial Times article reported that next year Google (GOOG) plans to introduce its new operating system called Chrome OS. Google's new Chrome laptop will feature an operating system based on the computing power of the Web, rather than running "native" software made by Microsoft.

Eric Schmidt, Google's chief executive, called the new system: "A viable third choice in real operating systems to stand alongside Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple (AAPL) and a culmination of a vision he has worked on since 1983."

Google's (GOOG) management philosophy is to launch quickly and then to iterate. However, in the case of its eBook project, the process has been fairly slow. But after several years, it is finally open to the virtual public.

All in all, it's a pretty good resource, with three million books from over 4,000 publishers. Roughly two-thirds of these titles are free (since they are now part of the public domain).

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler, said that Chrysler plans to introduce a Fiat in the U.S. powered by natural gas. Bloomberg/Businessweek quotes Marchionne: "Natural gas engines offer a better way to cut emissions because they are cheaper than competing technologies."

Fiat is the leader in Europe in natural gas engines with 80% share of methane powered cars and 55% of light commercial vehicles. Alfredo Altavilla, quoted in Bloomberg/Businessweek said natural gas is a "more affordable solution" as it is less expensive to produce transport and distribute compared with other fuel sources.

Microsoft's (MSFT) new Kinect technology is paying off with big sales in its first month. Microsoft sold 2.5 million devices, each costing $150, as reported by CNNMoney.

The new Kinect technology enables Xbox users to play video games without a controller. And Microsoft sold more Kinects in its first month than Apple (AAPL) did its iPad. One million iPads sold in its first month of sale.

Investors.com reports on a new, faster process in chip production from IBM. The process is called Cu-32 and is 15% faster than IBM's current process. The Cu stands for copper and the 32 stands for nanometers in width. IBM's current process is 44 nanometers in width.

The Cu-32 is used to make ASICs, or application-specific integrated circuits. Circuit makers will be able to mix and match what features they want and have IBM make that ASIC.

Microsoft (MSFT) is launching a new consumer technology on Thursday called Kinect, which uses motion-detecting cameras and microphones to sense commands, the Financial Times reports. "It's the first meaningful device that combines motion control, voice control and facial recognition -- that's real science fiction," James McQuivey, analyst at Forrester Research told the Times.

Microsoft has spent millions in research labs to invent new and more natural ways for people to control computers. Presently, Microsoft will limit its work with Kinect by building it into its game console. Eventually, it will have a far wider impact.