China's Alibaba Group is working on apps for connected car drivers that would let them find restaurants and make reservations, the company said. The technology would also let users order food, and Alibaba expects to add additional features that can be performed using voice, touch or motion commands.

Chipotle Mexican Grill and other chains are creating modern versions of the drive-thru lane to cater to a fast-growing group of customers who order ahead via mobile phones. Cava will start testing a drive-thru for digital orders this month, and Dunkin' and Starbucks are also experimenting with the concept.

Fast-casual Dalup Modern Indian will open in New York City next month with a tech-forward strategy that includes a robot that makes fermented crepes called dosas to order. In keeping with its commitment to technology, the restaurant will donate part of its proceeds to the nonprofit Girls Who Code.

Robots in restaurants could be a way to solve staffing issues and produce more uniform food. The trade-off could be a loss of the human touch in the dining experience, said April Harrington of urban-farm nonprofit Growing Home.

Social media has become a bigger marketing tool for catering providers, a panel of executives said recently. Companies should use a qualified marketer to respond to customer reviews and learn to use social platform tools to track the effectiveness of their social efforts, panelists said.

The release of the Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone has been delayed until at least May after technology reviewers reported that their test devices had malfunctioned. The Galaxy Fold, the first mainstream foldable-screen device, was scheduled to be released this week.

The Tiger Mobiles blog discovered a design patent filed by LG for a smartphone with three front-facing cameras. The patent request diagram reveals a smartphone that features three front-facing cameras within the display notch.

ON Semiconductor reached a definitive agreement to acquire a 300-millimeter wafer fabrication facility in East Fishkill, N.Y., from GlobalFoundries for $430 million. IBM transferred ownership of the fab to GlobalFoundries just a few years ago.

T-Mobile is offering checking accounts that customers can use on smartphones, with 4% interest per year for account balances up to $3,000. The service lets users pay bills with Samsung, Google, or Apple Pay, but the only ATMs where it won't incur a fee are those from Allpoint.

Sony has launched a taxi-hailing service, S.Ride, in Tokyo, with 10,000 licensed drivers. The app matches drivers with customers by using artificial intelligence, and payment methods include a credit card similar to Uber's