ZTE said earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show that it intended to crowdsource suggestions for a new mobile device. On Wednesday, the Chinese telecommunications company kept its word by inviting the general public to its Z-Community forums to share their ideas.
It’s no secret that innovation in the mobile industry has reached a bit of a standstill. Samsung, for example, unveiled its Galaxy Note 7 just the other day. Aside from a few minor improvements such as Gorilla Glass 5 and waterproofing, the handset is largely a carryover from its flagship Galaxy S7. Similarly, Apple’s next iPhone isn’t expected to the revolutionary jump that typically happens following an S-model release.
Tentatively known as Project CSX, the crowdfunded mobile product must be possible to build by 2017 (technically, as in it can’t include a time machine or some other wild tech that doesn’t yet exist) and be affordable to the general public.
Engadget notes that Jeff Yee, senior vice president of technology planning and partnerships, said ZTE plans to see the project through to the very end. The executive added that the development of a new mobile device can cost anywhere between half a million and $5 million but stopped short of saying exactly how much money has been allocated for Project CSX.
If you’re interested in participating, simply head over to the Z-Community and register for an account if you don’t already have one. From there, all you need to go is create a thread and populate it with your idea.
Image courtesy James Mattil, Shutterstock
https://www.techspot.com/news/65836-zte-invites-public-help-design-next-mobile-product.html
