News - Mozilla and Spreadtrum announce $25 smartphone

[HEXUS]

These smartphones will help bring browser- based OS to the developing world.

Read more.

[Saracen]

On the surface, a good step forward. It won't interest those buying high-end phones, but there's a lot, including me, not interested in £500 phones even if they're not just smart, but geniuses.

However, statements like "customised, fun and intuitive experience" worry me. It smacks of the self-interested, and un-remivable (without heroic measures) app-drivel that so many companies, like Samsung, clog up the front-end with. Or worse yet, customised tie-in front ends, like Amazon Fire.

So, even at that price, for me, EVERYTHING hsngs on usability. I don't expect iPhone hardware or feature-set, but I also don't expect it be "fun" in the sense that I can't remove ad-driven spam-apps, or privacy-invading nosiness, from it. If it is, I won't have one if they paid me to take it.

So .... interesting possibilities, but I'll wait fo find out a LOT more before getting excited. I approve of the theory, but implementation will be critical for me.

[Capone20]

does cheap mean ugly? they could make an better design much better

[McEwin]

That sounds monumentally cheap! How are they subsidising it?

[Dooms]

Was wondering how Mozilla's phone OS would manage to get into the market (didn't stand a chance head on) but looks like this will do it long as its not complete crap.

[Wozza63]

Well looking at the performance in the video, it performs more than good enough already for something so cheap. And I imagine they still have some optimizations they can do, as she says in the video. I may pick one up if they make them available in the UK for £20 or something

[OilSheikh]

$25 = £25 in reality. Exchange rates seldom translate into lower prices esp. as we have VAT and what not that increases the prices we pay for things!

[Percy1983]

at £25 I would buy one for nights out etc.

[Wozza63]

$25 = £25 in reality. Exchange rates seldom translate into lower prices esp. as we have VAT and what not that increases the prices we pay for things!

Still ridiculously cheap I think. If I can get it here then I'm definitely going to pick one up. Want to get into HTML5 apps so this could help that as well