Skip to main content

Chinese smartphone maker ZTE wants you to weigh in on its next big product

ZTE Axon 7 Mini Hands On
Malarie Gokey/Digital Trends
ZTE wants consumers to be a little more hands-on in the design process of its smartphones. To that end, the Chinese telecommunications equipment company is moving into a second phase of its CSX program, which is aimed at crowdsourcing ideas for a new and interesting mobile device. In fact, as of today, you can head over to the company’s forum and vote for ideas yourself. This voting process is a new phase in the program.

Ideas aren’t confined to just a phone — you can submit an idea for anything related to mobile — it just has to be affordable and use technology that can be achieved within a year. Some ideas, for example, include a Bluetooth glove that can move mechanically to teach you how to do things like play a piano. Other ideas include a smartphone with a solar panel.

ZTE will end up picking three ideas for the campaign on September 11, after which it will enter the next phase — letting the public submit technical drawings for the winning proposals. Then, in October, the company will choose the final designs, which will be voted on. Those behind the winning entries will also win a trip to CES 2017 in January in Las Vegas, where some version of the new product will be unveiled.

According to ZTE, a hefty 400 ideas were submitted for the campaign, but at least 100 of those were disqualified for a variety of reasons.

It’s certainly an interesting concept, and one that ZTE surely hopes will push sales. After all, people are more likely to buy a product if they feel personally invested in it. The idea also does away with the secretiveness that top tech companies traditionally employ. It’s also a pretty cool idea that the winners will be shown off at CES in Las Vegas — arguably the biggest tech show in the world.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Visible just made its unlimited 5G plan better than ever
Visible wireless phones and plans featured

Digital wireless service provider Visible has announced upgrades to its premium Visible+ phone plan. The highlight is a new Global Pass feature that allows Visible customers to use their phones in 140 countries worldwide.

The Visible Global Pass offers unlimited talk and text services, along with 2GB of high-speed data, for a flat rate of $10 per day. Visible+ members can also enjoy a free Global Pass usage day every month. The activation process can be done through the Visible app.

Read more
The OnePlus Watch 2 is the Wear OS smartwatch I’ve been waiting for
Person wearing OnePlus Watch 2 with a green strap on their left wrist.

The OnePlus Watch 2 -- the company's first Wear OS watch -- has entered a market that Samsung dominates. However, OnePlus' popularity as a smartphone brand can be expected to bring small, yet meaningful changes that benefit not only OnePlus users, but all of the Wear OS segment in general.

For almost a decade, Samsung and Apple have predominantly been the default options if you want a smartwatch that is actually useful and goes beyond flashy features. With Samsung shifting gears and migrating from its own Tizen OS to the (relatively) more universal Wear OS platform and Google releasing its own Pixel Watch after struggling with an identity crisis in the smartwatch world, the platform has much more traction than it did a few years ago. As OnePlus carves its way into the segment, it has the opportunity to entice people who don't wish to live within Samsung's limitations when using a Galaxy Watch with another brand's phone.

Read more
Buying an iPad Mini today? You need to know about this deal
The Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad mini magnetically.

If you've had an eye on iPad deals for the latest model of the Apple iPad Mini for a while now, this may be the offer that you've been waiting for -- a $100 discount from Best Buy on the tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, slashing its price to $400 from $500. It's still pretty popular years after its release, so we don't expect stocks of the device for this sale to last long. If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bargain, you better push through with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini 2021
The latest generation of the Apple iPad Mini was released in 2021, but it's still featured in our roundup of the best iPads because it's the model that you should buy if you want a smaller and more compact version of Apple's tablets. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is smaller than the screens of its peers, but it's still big enough to enjoy watching streaming shows and browsing websites, while allowing you to use the device with one hand. Unlike its predecessor, there's no Home button, so the Touch ID sensor is instead built into the power button at the side of the Apple iPad Mini 2021.

Read more