ZTE launched Project CSX last year in order to let anybody submit product ideas and/or vote for the best choices, and after several months, the winning entry was a phone with an adhesive backcover and eye-tracking function to control the phone without hands. The company has now named the phone ZTE Hawkeye launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds for the development and manufacturing of the smartphone.
Hawkeye smartphone specifications [Updated on Jan 18 with the released the specs]:
- SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Octa-core processor @ 2.0GHz
- System Memory – 3GB RAM
- Storage – 32GB flash memory + micro SD slot up to 256GB
- Display – 5.5″ FHD (1920 x 1080)
- Audio – HiFi audio
- Connectivity – WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, dual SIM card slot
- Camera – Rear: Dual Lens 13MP + 12MP with optical zoom; front: 8MP
- USB – 1x USB type C port
- Sensors – Fingerprint sensor
- Battery – 3,000 mAh with Quick Charge 2.0
The phone will run Android 7.x Nougat and support OTA firmware updates.
So the company is not quite ready to stick to full detailed specs at this stage of development, but is committed to fulfill the main requirements of the winning concept design, namely:
- Scrolling based on Eye-Tracking (Senseye) – Pages can scroll automatically up-down or left-right based on movement of your eyes. Voice commands can be used to navigate between pages.
- Stick to Walls and Surfaces with Self-Adhesive Case – The phone can be mounted to a vertical surface using an optional case, freeing up the need to hold the phone.
The two features are demonstrated in what looks like a prototype.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/856508640/zte-project-csx-phone-hands-free-eye-tracking-devi
The project might have a hard time reaching its $500,000 target, because of the relatively high funding target, unclear specifications, ZTE decided to launch the campaign right during CES 2017 when many people are flooded by tech news, and this type of hands-free smartphone might be only useful for a limited number of users. If you’d like to contribute to this smartphone with design inputs from the community, you can do so by pledging $199 for the phone and the adhesive case. Shipping is free worldwide, and backers should be sent their rewards around September 2017.
Via Liliputing
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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I cringe when big brands use Kickstarter this way. ZTE is a huge company and plenty of access to capital markets, obviously it doesn’t need to go grovelling for cash from Kickstarter backers, especially not for $500K.
@JM
I think that Kickstarter is an excellent market research tool for companies. It even helps with the promotion and is very low cost.
What is that on top of the dude’s head in the promo picture? Is it alive? Or dangerous? LOL.
They’ve finally released the specs: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/856508640/zte-project-csx-phone-hands-free-eye-tracking-devi/posts/1785645
They should really have figured it out before launching the campaign.
The project has been canceled: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/856508640/zte-project-csx-phone-hands-free-eye-tracking-devi/posts/1809881
But they’ll still investigate if they can bring a better phone with eye tracking technology and self adhesive backing to the market.