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.

Note: Supplies of phones are limited. All requests for phones should be routed either through Developer Engagement or the B2G Test Drivers program. Do not go directly to IT to request phones. If you do not qualify for a phone through B2G Test Drivers, file a Service Now request. Contact | Christie Koehler with any questions.

2 Nov 2012 Update: The backlog of requests in Service Now have been processed. Please log in to check the status of your request and contact Christie Koehler if you have any questions.

10 January 2013 Update: We have now completely exhausted our first supply of developer devices. More devices are on their way, with an ETA of end of January or beginning of February. Please be patient.

Phase 1 (Sept-Nov 2012)

Phase 1 includes deploying Unagi devices to the following groups:

• first wave of internal "dogfooders"
• developers working on B2G or writing applications for it
• technical evangelists and documenters
• qa engineers
• those who will travel to events to demo to developers

During Phase 1, only employees and close partners are eligible to receive phones. We are not yet able to give phones to non-employee contributors.

B2G Test Drivers (blue-green stickers)

To qualify for a phone under the B2G Test Drivers program, you must:

• be a Mozilla employee
• be based in the SF, Mt. View or Toronto offices
• agree to test the phone daily, send feedback, file bugs, participate on the mailinglist, etc.
• not to re-flash the phone with another build of B2G

Visit the B2G Test Drivers page for more information on how to sign-up.

FirefoxOS Test Drivers (orange stickers)

To qualify for a phone under the FirefoxOS Test Drivers program, you must:

• be a Mozilla employee
• be able to build B2G and flash it to the device
• have a key role in the launch of FirefoxOS

To request a phone, file a request in Service Now.

Phase 2 (Nov-Dec 2012)

Phase 2 includes deploying Unagi devices to the following groups:

• second wave of internal "dogfooders"
• non-employee contributors

The details for this phase are still being determined. This page will be updated as soon as there is more information.

Phase 3 (Q1 2013)

Three more batches of phones will be available between the end of January and March.

• Batch 1: 400 devices, similar to the "Unagi" device. These are reserved for engineering, business development and engagement.
  • 150 Engineering/QA
  • 150 Engagement
  • 100 Business Development

• Batch 2 & 3: 2,500 devices + 3,500 available for purchase at cost online.
  • 365 Business Development
  • 100 Engineering
  • 830 Employees
  • 835 Evangelism
  • 370 ReMo & L10N

Batch 2 & 3 will see the widest distribution among Mozillians. Every employee, official rep, and localizer will receive a phone. Additionally, Evangelism will have a number on hand to give out at events to to key developers.

Evangelism is managing the distribution of the devices. The process for obtaining devices will be to file a Service Now request and each request requies approved by Chrisite Koehler.

If you need several devices at ones, you may file a single Service Now request with the relevant details.

The above quantities represent the number of devices budgeted for each functional area. If you would like to discuss reserving an allocaiton of these phones, contact Christie Koehler.

Background Info

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).
• B2G_Test_Drivers (internal, only MV/SF/TO Spaces)
• 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.
    
• Reps/Localizers
  • B2G will come out localized and it's important to make sure localizers have an opportunity to test their work on an actual device.
• 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

Deployment Targets

• B2G Test Drivers
  • Paid staff (starting with MV/SF/TO, for IT support as well as privacy concerns)
  • Feedback, crashes, and phone updates will be tracked (with their knowledge) so that we can have 2-way conversations. Each B2G Test Driver device will have a unique ID set on the device and a short-form feedback application in the default Gaia apps that enable easy tracking.
    
• Developer Outreach
  • We will give developers many opportunities to interact with hardware at events organized or sponsored by Mozilla
  • A comprehensive developer program for hardware is in the works
• Contributor Outreach
  • We will engage with the Mozilla contributor base through ReMo and other related programs. We will also be giving contributors opportunities to interact with hardware at events like MozCamps

Request Process

• Any Mozilla paid staff can be added to our waitlist for devices by filing a Hardware Request though the ServiceNow Service Catalog (https://mozilla.service-now.com/navpage.do) and, for now, select the "Unagi phone". Your request will be routed to the B2G Hardware team for processing. Request a phone only if you are willing to use the phone as your personal cellphone and report bugs & provide feedback about the phone regularly during this pre-release period.
• 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