Mozilla Hacks

Wanted: Awesome HTML5 app ports for Firefox OS & the Open Web

By Havi Hoffman

Posted on February 21, 2014 in Apps, Event, and Firefox OS

A bit of background

In 2013, Mozilla and our partners launched Firefox OS in fourteen markets. We released three Firefox OS smartphone models and a Geeksphone developer preview device. Our Developer Relations team hosted eight invite-only workshops for app developers around the world: Mountain View, London, Madrid, Bogota, Warsaw, Porto Alegre, Guadalajara, and Budapest. This year, Firefox OS will launch on more devices in more countries around the world. We continue to grow Firefox Marketplace with new and engaging HTML5 apps that run on Firefox OS devices.

Through our Phones for Apps program, we’ve shipped hundreds of Geeksphones to app developers around the world. Developers like you ported existing HTML5 apps to Firefox OS, and got to keep the developer preview devices we sent. Huge thanks to hundreds of these pioneers in scores of countries who delivered apps to Firefox Marketplace!

What’s new: Phones for Cordova/PhoneGap ports

This year we’re focused on finding the very best apps — apps that deliver great experiences and local relevance to Firefox OS users. For HTML5 app developers, powerful cross-platform tools make it easier to build apps for native platforms and to access native device APIs. This week we introduced the Firefox OS Cordova 3.4 integration, which makes it possible to release Cordova apps on the Firefox OS platform. While this is an ongoing project, significant functionality is available now with the 3.4 release of Apache Cordova. Yesterday’s post describes how to use these new capabilities to port your existing app or apps.

If you’ve already built apps with Cordova/PhoneGap this is a unique opportunity to port your apps quickly and easily. We’ve heard from developers who successfully migrated PhoneGap apps to Firefox OS over a weekend — taking hours, not weeks or months. And we know there are great PhoneGap apps out there. For this reason, the third phase of our popular and successful Phones for Apps program will focus exclusively on app “porters” with currently popular and well-rated Cordova/PhoneGap apps. (NOTE: HTML5 applications can be packaged as native apps via the framework and made available for installation. Cordova is the underlying software in the Adobe product PhoneGap.)

Who should apply

Works_w_PhoneGap

If you’re a Cordova/PhoneGap developer with published HTML5 apps on any platform, we invite you to participate in the Phones for Cordova/PhoneGap Apps program. Show us your well-rated listed app and if it’s a fit for Firefox Marketplace, we’ll ship you a developer device and help you through the process of getting your app into the Firefox Marketplace. Here’s how it works:

  • Apply here: Phones for Cordova/PhoneGap Ports application.
  • All submissions will be reviewed as they are received. We’ll let you know if your application is accepted.
  • Once you commit to porting your app, we’ll send you a device.

Upcoming Firefox OS workshops & hack events

In addition to our online Phones for Cordova/PhoneGap Ports program, we plan to host a limited number of invitation-only Firefox OS App Workshops in new locales. We’re excited to announce a workshop in the beautiful city of Prague in the Czech Republic, date to be set next quarter. The enrollment form is open and we are accepting applications from qualified HTML5 developers.

REQUIRED: You must have a Firefox OS app in progress or a published HTML5 app that you’re porting to Firefox OS. Show us a link to your existing app or to working code for the app you’re building. If you don’t provide relevant links to working app code we will not consider your application.

Apply now for the Prague App Workshop.

What if you don’t live near Prague in the Czech Republic? Don’t worry! We plan to offer several other app workshops this year and we’ll announce them here.

hackday_devices

Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve already built apps for Firefox OS, there are many hackathons, App Days, and other events hosted or sponsored by Mozillians and happening around the world where you can participate and learn. Find out about community-driven Firefox events hosted by Mozilla Reps as well as talks and events that include Mozilla participants across the planet.

About Havi Hoffman

Content wrangler & cat herder on the Developer Relations team. Also Mozilla Hacks blog editor and Mozilla Tech Speakers program co-founder.

More articles by Havi Hoffman…

18 comments

  1. amoeba

    I am making a news reading app for the chrome store, its in development phase right now, but I have a webapp up and running. Am I eligible for this contest ?

    February 21st, 2014 at 09:49

    1. Havi Hoffman

      @amoeba – Thanks for your interest in this program! Right now we are focusing specifically on apps built using Cordova/PhoneGap. That said, if you have a working webapp running now, could you point us at it? Please email a link or pointer to your current working app: send to appsdev at mozilla dot com and we’ll get back to you.

      February 21st, 2014 at 11:00

      1. amoeba

        @havi thanks for the response.
        I mailed my webapp url and play store app url to that mail (5 days ago), haven’t got a response yet.

        February 26th, 2014 at 02:56

  2. Bob Thulfram

    If you are making games for Firefox OS, you might find my blog helpful. Hints, tips, lots of code examples, and even reviews of Firefox OS games in the Marketplace. Let a thousand games bloom!

    http://firefoxosgaming.blogspot.com

    February 21st, 2014 at 14:05

  3. Jordan Werthman

    I am a university student currently attending University of Central Florida. I am very interested in mobile and web development, working mostly with Android and iOS at the moment. I am very intrigued with Firefox OS and would love to develop for the platform. While I don’t have any currently written Phonegap applications, is there anyway I could still get a developer device? Thank you for your time.

    February 22nd, 2014 at 21:00

  4. priya

    For HTML5 app developers, powerful cross-platform tools make it easier to build apps for native platforms and to access native device APIs.Great.

    February 26th, 2014 at 00:35

  5. shrey

    Previous participants who ported apps and already have devices are also eligible.

    February 26th, 2014 at 02:12

  6. Havi Hoffman

    @shrey – Thanks very much for your interest in Firefox apps. I’m thinking you meant your comment as a question. :)

    In this program, we are looking for developers who can port topnotch HTML5 apps built with PhoneGap and/or Cordova, that are not currently available in Firefox Marketplace, but are already live and doing well on another platform. We will review each submission based on these criteria.

    February 26th, 2014 at 08:14

  7. Havi Hoffman

    @Jordan – Thanks for asking! You can get started developing apps for Firefox OS using Firefox Developer Tools, like the App Manager and the Simulator, that are built into the browser (see Tools>Web Developer). There’s more info here:

    https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox_OS/Using_the_App_Manager

    ZTE Open Devices are available for sale in the ZTE Store on eBay, and we’ve seen them for sale from some other U.S. vendors.

    If you are interested in contributing to the development of Firefox OS on tablets, please take a look at the Tablet Contribution Program, and see if it’s a fit for your skills and interests: https://hacks.mozilla.org/2014/02/open-applications-tcp/

    February 26th, 2014 at 08:50

  8. Matt

    Ive still not found time to get a few web apps off the ground that I have plans for, but I have got my FireFox OS handset now. Shame I cant get to the Prague event to.

    March 1st, 2014 at 03:46

  9. george

    i like it thank you.

    March 4th, 2014 at 12:15

  10. Sourav Lahoti

    Can we built new apps and send the app to the respective mail, I personally would love to learn PhoneGap as a part of this program.

    March 7th, 2014 at 07:44

  11. Jan D

    I have applied for a device and it seems that one on it’s way. I already did a great deal of the work that I expect that is needed to prepare my app for the FirefoxOs device, but it seems that a many plugins are still not supported (http://cordova.apache.org/docs/en/3.4.0/guide_support_index.md.html#Platform%20Support). Do you know if that guide is correct?

    March 10th, 2014 at 07:05

  12. Shiva Goyal

    I am windows developer and also have windows 8 app and windows phone app. I have so much interest in Firefox OS so how can i start developing apps for Firefox OS??

    March 10th, 2014 at 10:11

    1. Havi Hoffman

      @Shiva – there are tools in Cordova for Windows developers here: http://cordova.apache.org/docs/en/2.9.0/guide_cli_index.md.html
      This is a good starting place for all the documentation about building apps for Firefox OS: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Apps

      March 17th, 2014 at 15:41

  13. Anmol

    Havi,
    What devices are being sent out this time? Keon or Peak?

    March 17th, 2014 at 09:55

    1. Havi Hoffman

      @Anmol, Currently, we are shipping Keons. Participants from earlier phases of our Phones for Apps program are not eligible for this program.

      March 17th, 2014 at 15:37

  14. Bob Thulfram

    I already mentioned my HTML5 Firefox OS game coding blog at http://firefoxosgaming.blogspot.com, but I now have a 50,000 word (400 pages) eBook on Amazon Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IZUYIGO.

    PhoneGap is great and will do some of the work for you, but understanding the underlying HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, Canvas, and SVG might be helpful along the way!

    March 17th, 2014 at 15:31

Comments are closed for this article.