Have you ever seen a smartphone and thought that it would have been perfect if it had a certain feature? Or that a great smartphone was ruined because it used one technology over another?
If you answered yes, then now is your chance to be heard, as smartphone manufacturer ZTE has launched Project CSX.
Project CSX is a program that will allow ZTE to directly engage with customers during the development process of a smartphone. As explained by the company in the project's dedicated section on its website, Project CSX will have users submit ideas, with the users also voting on the ideas which they think will be the best additions to the planned device.
The only limitations that ZTE has placed upon the resulting product of Project CSX is that it must be a mobile device, specifically a portable gadget that can connect to cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks; the device must be realistically possible to manufacture by 2017; and it should maintain an affordable price.
ZTE has launched the online forum for Project CSX, and a good number of ideas have already been submitted with healthy discussions taking place. A look at the top of the forum, meanwhile, shows that the period for submitting ideas to Project CSX will only be until Aug. 31, with user voting on the top 3 best ideas to be incorporated into the smartphone to take place on Sept. 1 to Sept. 10.
Product concept submissions will then take place from Sept. 12 to Sept. 30, with voting for the top 5 submissions to happen from Oct. 1 to Oct. 10. This will be immediately followed by the last stage of voting to determine the top product concept, lasting from Oct. 12 to Oct. 19.
ZTE is also providing incentives for users to participate in Project CSX through a variety of rewards. The top 5 reviewers for both the ideas and product concept phases will each receive $100. The top 3 vote winners for the ideas phase will each win $500, while the top 5 vote winners for the product concept phase will each be awarded $1,500.
The grand prize winner will be awarded a trip for two to attend the annual CES trade show in 2017, which will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada from Jan. 5 to Jan. 8. The prize package, which carries an approximate value of $4,500, will include round-trip airfare or ground transportation plus hotel and meal accommodations.
The winner will be at CES 2017 to mark one year since ZTE first unveiled the initiative at CES 2016. It is good to see ZTE follow through with its announcement, with users now invited to participate in the ambitious Project CSX.
The project, however, has so far received many doubts across the industry, as it is seen by some as nothing more than a promotional move that aims to boost ZTE's engagement with customers. That said, if Project CSX moves forward as described, it could very well be a breakthrough in the smartphone industry to manufacture the very first "crowdsourced smartphone."
