Hi there, I'm Potch.
I'm a web developer at Mozilla and I want to take a few minutes to talk to
you about the new Firefox OS Simulator, tell you how to install it, and how to use it.
The Firefox OS Simulator is an extension for Firefox that makes it easy for an App Developer to
test out their app in Mozilla's upcoming Firefox OS mobile platform
as they develop their app without needing a phone.
You can find the extension on the Firefox Add-ons website at
addons.mozilla.org.
We'll search for Firefox OS Simulator.
Version 1 of the Simulator is a preview release but
it's been reviewed by Add-ons staff so it's safe to install.
It's a fairly large download because it contains a full copy
of Firefox OS compiled to run on a PC instead of a phone.
Once it's done downloading we just click install and there we go.
To launch the simulator go to the menu bar and select
Tools> Web Developer> Firefox OS Simulator.
This is the simulator dashboard, the dashboard is the
place where you manage your installed apps and launch the simulator itself.
Before we install some apps let's launch the Simulator to see what it looks like.
The Simulator launches as a separate desktop application.
Here you can see the lock screen.
We can swipe up from the bottom to unlock the phone.
On the home screen you can scroll around to see a list of the pre-installed applications.
At the bottom, the is a home button to simulate
the home button on the device itself.
Now that we've explored the simulator some, let's install an app.
In my day job, I work on the Firefox Marketplace.
So let's test that.
In the dashboard enter the URL of the app that you would like to test.
It will auto-complete URLS from any open tabs you have.
Once you click Add URL it will automatically launch running that app.
Here we see the mobile version of the Marketplace.
As you can see, the Simulator makes it easy to test out a web app in just a few clicks.
Additionally, after you install an App,
its icon will be placed on the home screen so you can launch it later.
Even though this is just a preview, I hope you'll try it out and let us know what you think. Thanks!