ZTE is kickstarting an eye-tracking smartphone called 'Hawkeye"
LAS VEGAS -- Chinese smartphone maker ZTE is turning to a slightly more unconventional method to launch its next phone: Kickstarter.
The company announced Wednesday that it is using the crowdfunding platform to fund its next smartphone, an eye-tracking handset dubbed "Hawkeye."
The company didn't reveal many specs for the upcoming device, which is currently still a prototype. But ZTE said the phone will have a 5.5-inch HD display, dual-SIM slots, a fingerprint sensor and expandable memory. Like the company's other phones, Hawkeye will run Android and come unlocked.
But the most interesting aspect of the phone is the feature that likely gave it the "Hawkeye" name: eye tracking. Powered by the phone's front-facing camera, the phone will track users' eye movements to allow them to scroll through their reading material and other content.
The phone will also ship with a "self adhesive" case to further enable hands-free use. The case is made out of an unnamed material that allows it to "stick against most vertical surfaces," according to the company.
The Hawkeye costs $199 during the Kickstarter (ZTE has set a $500,000 goal) and the company says it expects to ship the device by September 2017.
Topics CES
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
