IBM is embarking on a research project to design mobile gadgets that are easier to use for people who have disabilities or aren't fully literate.

The goal is to develop a common interface for mobile devices that will make them easier to use. As digital information becomes more vital, IBM said, it believes the Internet needs to be more accessible to a wider range of people, including those who are illiterate, blind, deaf, and elderly, and those in developing countries.

Any software created by IBM Research and the universities will be released as open source, freely available for governments and businesses to use, said IBM. Big Blue's partnership is part of its Open Collaborative Research program, which teams up the company with universities to develop new and open technologies.