The FCC's decades-old prohibition on presale or conditional sale of RF devices, except to wholesalers and retailers, is "past its prime in today’s commercial marketplace," blogged Commissioner Mike O'Rielly Tuesday. Kickstarter presale of devices shows consumers want the option, he said, adding there's no discernable harm if a device is marketed before OK, and delivered to consumers after approval. That would let manufacturers gauge consumer interest before putting money and time into getting regulatory yes, he said. He urged an exception for advertising and retail display preparation purposes to FCC import rules for foreign-made RF devices that haven't received the agency's nod.

OEMs are working to improve reliability and consistency of wireless charging in vehicles, said Strategy Analytics Monday. Qi wireless charging began as a luxury option and is now a rapidly growing market opportunity, it said. Beyond being a convenience feature, wireless charging can be a catalyst for other technologies such as wireless smartphone projection via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that mirrors content onto the vehicle’s center display, emailed analyst Edward Sanchez.

Coherent remains optimistic about “the pending upgrade cycle” to 5G smartphones, said CEO Andy Mattes. “The linkage between thin-flexible OLED screens and 5G capability seems high, driven by the need for larger batteries to occupy more of the device volume as a requirement for powering the shorter-range, higher-frequency antennas.” The chief of the supplier of laser-based microelectronics to panel makers spoke to investors Wednesday evening following results for fiscal Q2 ended April 4.

Samsung's latest stand-alone turnkey security system offers protection for booting, isolated storage and mobile payments, it said Tuesday. The chip is Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 6+ certified, it said. Consumers expect smartphones to be highly secure to protect personal data and enable mobile banking, stock trading and cryptocurrency transactions, said Dongho Shin, Samsung senior vice president-system LSI marketing, calling the S3FV9RR chip a “deadbolt on smart devices." The chip is due in Q3.

Intel is buying Rivet Networks, a provider of software and cloud-based technologies for Wi-Fi networks. The companies partnered to build the Wi-Fi 6-based Killer AX1650, said to deliver speed, intelligence and control for gamers and performance PC users. The Rivet team will be part of Intel’s client computing group, and its key products will integrate into Intel’s PC Wi-Fi portfolio, blogged Chris Walker, general manager of the group. Intel will license Rivet software to customers and develop new solutions for “broader PC connectivity enhancement,” he said Wednesday.

Vuzix now has hands-free voice support for Skype for Business, Zoom and Zoom for Healthcare, for its M400 smart glasses, said the company Wednesday: An operating system update lets users access the apps, enter passwords and join meetings by voice.

Two major smart home manufacturers are integrating with each other's products. Lutron lighting and shading control products will integrate with iOS and Android apps and with Crestron Home touch screens. Crestron software will automatically detect Lutron hardware on the customer’s network. That will help audiovisual dealers “deliver the best user experience” to clients, “regardless of what brand of lighting controls and shades are installed,” said John Clancy, Lutron vice president-residential. "Crestron and Lutron products are used together so often." It's “great news for integrators,” said Chief Operating Officer Franklin Karp of Audio Video Systems in Plainview, New York, in an email to us Monday.

The FCC's Ligado order (see 2004200011) leans heavily on so-called "co-existence agreements" between the company and GPS manufacturers, but Garmin never signed such an agreement, just a technical agreement in 2015 to settle litigation brought by Ligado, Garmin said in a docket 11-109 posting Monday. That settlement doesn't endorse Ligado's proposal, and Garmin doesn't endorse Ligado's license modification applications, it said. "The FCC’s apparent peremptory dismissal of ... well-documented concerns [such as possible interference to certified aviation devices] is troubling," as is rejection of the 1 dB noise floor standard for gauging harmful interference, Garmin said. Ligado emailed that “over two years ago, the FAA established the parameters to protect certified aviation; those exact parameters were adopted in the FCC’s order. Ligado trusts that the FCC and the FAA got it right, and stands ready to implement pursuant to the conditions of the Order. This appears to be another attempt to persuade anyone that’s still listening that 1 dB is an internationally accepted standard -- it’s not -- and it is not the way anyone has ever measured harmful interference from operations in spectrum that is 23 MHz away. Just because they keep saying it, does not make it a fact.”

Sixty-one percent of consumers rank smartphones and smart TV remotes (45 percent) as top devices for voice control, said a Thursday Syntiant report based on a Caravan survey. Over a quarter of consumers, led by Generation X and baby boomers, cited smart thermostats, doorbells and microwave ovens as devices they control by voice vs. touch screens or other tactile interfaces. Millennials (28%) and Generation Z (18%) consumers control gaming devices and smartwatches by voice. Privacy (27%) is the top concern consumers have about voice control, followed by security (23%), functionality (19%) and ease of use (15%). The survey was done April 22-24.

Smartphones could overtake TVs within a year as the most-owned tech product in U.S. households, said a Wednesday CTA report. Smartphones are now owned by 92% of homes -- a point higher than 2019 -- while the number of U.S. homes with a TV dropped 2 points, said a poll of 2,612 U.S. adults March 31-April 6. Household laptop ownership was 76%. Smart home technologies gained household penetration, with smart speakers having the highest penetration at 39%, up 8 points. Some 22% of households plan to buy a smart speaker over the next 12 months -- 69% repeat owners, 31% first-time buyers. Products with the highest level of buying interest are portable battery chargers (39% of households), smartphones (36%) and wireless earbuds (27%). Twenty-four percent plan to buy TVs, 23% laptops and 21% videogame consoles, it said.