Engagement/Developer Engagement/Hardware

Firefox OS Early Hardware Deployment Plan

We are getting phones to key members of our ecosystem to ensure the success of Firefox OS at launch time, including core developers, paid and volunteer staff and app developers. Phones are necessary to develop the platform, build credibility and excitement, develop and test apps and ensure that Firefox OS is widely tested.

The Early Hardware Deployment plan includes multiple phases, audiences, and distribution channels.

Audiences

We need to get phones to the following audiences that are a part of the Firefox OS (B2G) launch ecosystem:

• Core development team needs phones to develop and test Firefox OS (B2G).
• Internal Dogfooding (B2G Test Drivers program)
  • Ideal candidates are Mozillians who are not familiar with the internal workings of the operating system, but would more closely resemble typical users.
• Evangelists/Marketing
  • In order to get web developers creating apps for the phone, we need to be able to demo and show off the phone at hackfests and outreach events.
  • Developer engagement team and key ReMo reps and Speaker Evangelists are the initial teams who will be equipped with demo/testing devices.
    
• Web developers.
  • While not every web developer will need a phone to test their apps, some will need it for testing for specific performance and user experience reasons (games in particular).
  • External volunteers and partners
  • There may be cases where external partners have a valid need for the phone. External Mozilla contributors w/ a need for phones should request via [interest form].

Deployment Targets

• B2G Test Drivers
  • Paid staff (starting with MV/SF/TO, for IT support)
  • Interested employees should file a request on the B2G Test Drivers form that will be routed to Release Management. The phones will subsequently be deployed by IT.
  • Dogfooder feedback, crashes, and phone updates will be tracked (with their knowledge) so that we can have 2-way conversations. Each dogfooding phone will have a unique ID and a short-form feedback application to enable easy tracking.
    
  • External user testing programs will be considered in the future, once the inital phases of the Mozilla internal dogfooding program is completed.
• Developer Outreach
  • JS Conf EU (Berlin, Oct. 5-6)
  • Loaner program being planned
• Contributor Outreach
  • MozCamp Poland
  • MozCamp Asia

Request Process

• Mozilla Paid Staff should submit a hardware requests through the Service Catalog in Service Now. Your request will be routed to the B2G Hardware team for processing.
• We are working on a program for external contributors to request early hardware in conjunction with the ReMo program.

Developer Channels

We distribute the Firefox phone through the following channels to reach target developer audience: 

Hack days and Conferences

• Developers can hack on phones during hack days and strategic developer events.
• Developers who create quality apps that qualify for the B2G marketplace get to borrow or keep the phone.
• Mozilla Developer Engagement follows up with qualifying developers to help them get to finished app for marketplace.

Launch Relationships

• Mozilla Developer Engagement partners with select app developers who want to make apps on Firefox OS
• Work with these developers to port their apps to Firefox OS