Mozilla goes after Android, Apple with cheaper phone pledge

A screen displays the logo of the open-source web browser Firefox on July 31, 2009, in London, as the software edges towards it's billionth download within the next twenty four hours. First released in 2004, the browser currently holds around 31 % of the market share with Microsoft's Internet Explorer dominating the field with 60 %. AFP PHOTO/Leon Neal

MOZILLA, which brought the free web browser Firefox to the masses, now wants to do the same for mobile users, with a new open-source operating system that could drastically slash smartphone prices.

The non-profit group’s so-called Boot to Gecko project will go after Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS, to create an alternative which could generate smartphones that are “10 times cheaper” than an iPhone while offering similar experiences to those running on other platforms.