Unit shipments of wireless-power receivers and transmitters for all applications and product segments grew 37 percent globally last year to 600 million units and will reach 2.1 billion in 2023, said IHS Markit. “Wireless power technology continues to evolve rapidly, with reach expanding beyond smartphones to wider applications and product segments.” Mobile phones were 71 percent of all wireless-power receivers shipped last year and are expected “to continue to drive this market over the next five years.” Smartphone OEMs are using wireless charging as a “market differentiator to promote flagship models,” but the feature is expected to “build” in more mid-priced devices, it said Wednesday.

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold smartphone is “Fragile with a capital ‘F,’” which was the “big takeaway” of iFixit’s teardown analysis, said the right-to-repair company Wednesday. Samsung this week postponed the Galaxy Fold launch from Friday to a date not certain after online reviewers reported the displays on test samples Samsung sent them broke a day or two after being unboxed (see 1904220028). The Galaxy Fold “is, without question, an ambitious first-generation device,” said iFixit. Time will tell if the problems reviewers encountered are just “temporary setbacks” or the prelude to a “a full-blown AirPower-style product cancellation,” it said. Apple scrapped the AirPower wireless charging mat’s commercial introduction after concluding internally the product wasn't up to snuff (see 1903290062). The Galaxy Fold has a “ton of entry points for dust and other foreign matter to make their way inside, and there are so many different ways for the screen to break,” said iFixit. Its main bezels are “super slim,” it said. “They barely cover two millimeters of display, while leaving a 7 mm gap at the top and bottom. That doesn’t seem like much protection.” Samsung didn’t comment.

Antitrust authorities cleared the way for ON Semiconductor to buy Wi-Fi solutions provider Quantenna Communications, said an FTC early termination notice dated Monday and released Tuesday, ending the $1.07 billion deal's Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period. ON announced the transaction last month, saying it would enable the combined company to enter the automotive and industrial low-power connectivity market.

Earth Day is “a great time to consider e-cycling or donating” old electronics, blogged FTC Consumer Education Specialist Colleen Tressler in a “consumer alert” Monday. “Dumping them in the trash is a bad idea” because most electronics “contain hazardous materials that shouldn't go into landfills,” she said. Many consumer tech companies have e-waste takeback programs and drop-off centers, she said. Many charities accept donations of “slightly outdated but still-functioning” computers, she said: “Before you recycle or donate your old electronics, remember to delete any personal information you stored on the device.”

The BlackBerry Key2 smartphone, launched at Mobile World Congress in February, is available in a limited Red edition in the U.S. under the TCL brand, said the China-based company Friday. The $699 phone includes increased memory at 6 MB and 128 GB storage vs. the $399 standard version, it said, and dual 12-megapixel rear cameras with bokeh, dual-tone LED flash, HDR and 4K video recording. An 8-megapixel "selfie" camera faces front. The Key2 has support for Google Lens, Pay and Assistant; it won't work on CDMA networks from Sprint and Verizon, the company said. TCL signed on to license the BlackBerry brand in 2016 (see 1612200062) after BlackBerry’s decision to stop developing its own consumer hardware.

Intel will exit the 5G smartphone modem business and “complete an assessment of the opportunities” for 4G and 5G modems in PCs, IoT devices and other products, said the company Tuesday. It won’t abandon the 5G network infrastructure business, it said. Intel will continue servicing existing 4G smartphone modem orders but won’t introduce 5G smartphone modems, “including those originally planned for launches in 2020,” because it sees “no clear path to profitability and positive returns" in that space, it said. Intel developed a “valuable portfolio” of wireless products and intellectual property for 5G, it said. “We are assessing our options to realize the value we have created, including the opportunities in a wide variety of data-centric platforms and devices in a 5G world." Intel expects to give more details about the decision on its Q1 earnings call April 25, it said.

Five-year-old SoundFi, which last week announced its translation app is available for two Viacom Paramount Pictures at some theaters, is talking with other studios about similar arrangements, CEO Chris Anastas told us. The technology, which can translate in up to24 languages, launched on Sony Pictures’ Equalizer 2 last year, appeared in re-release of John Carpenter’s Halloween last fall and in Bumblebee. All were dedicated, recruited screening events, said Anastas.

LG and Xperi announced development and integration of DTS Connected Radio technology in vehicles sold worldwide with the first implementation due next year from an undisclosed global car brand. DTS Connected Radio delivers a digital audio broadcast and HD Radio FM experience by pairing broadcast programming with internet-protocol-delivered content, they said Wednesday. The system aggregates metadata, such as station content information and on-air radio program, artist and song information directly from broadcasters. It will be the first global system to allow carmakers to create a common radio experience across different analog and digital broadcast systems deployed regionally, said Jeff Jury, general manager of Xperi automotive.

Sound bars in Samsung's 2019 lineup include the company's SmartThings technology for smart home control and access to music streaming services, said Jim Kiczek, vice president-audio marketing. The sound bars are controllable by Samsung’s Bixby-enabled OneRemote and are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, he said in a Tuesday presentation. Adapt Sound automatically sets the volume of the audio track for a specific scene, he said, so loud explosions and quiet conversations can be heard, even when the sound bar is at low volume. A game mode engages up-firing speakers to add an immersive experience to gaming, he said. The company pushed aesthetics as much as performance in releasing features and pricing for its lineups.

Silicon Line launched integrated circuits with transmission speeds of 16 to 18 Gbps, it said Monday. Applications include optical cables for HDMI- and DisplayPort-enabled devices and custom cables for virtual reality headsets, 4K and 8K TV and commercial products.