Text tools is LIVE

My Text tools app for Firefox OS got approved today. Again very quick response on the Marketplace side.

Some more notes:
One important thing to notice is that currently the path to the icons in manifest.webapp MUST begin with leading slash, event if the icons are in the root directory.
I still cannot wrap my head around the styles and the layout on buildingfirefoxos.com that's why the app looks quite ugly and non-native.
IARC - that's new to me. Looks like three moths to get certified and to do that, one have to answer some questions about what the app contain and do.

This app will be disabled if no content ratings are assigned by April 15, 2014: Set up Content Ratings

Actually the process took me 5 minutes on slow connection so it's not a big issue.

My first Firefox OS App - UPDATE

OK first pass was no go. First the app was reviewed on the first working days which is better than what I've expected.

Second my app didn't pass. And the fault is mine. I'm using jekyll and make to generate the website for the app also the Chrome extension and now the Firefox OS extension. And the reason that the app didn't pass was that I have some external links left from the website version, which in the Firefox OS case open in chrome-less window. The actual reply I got from the review process was very useful and provided some suggestions on how to solve the issues and resubmit the app again.

I'll do the fixes and resubmit again soon, so stay tuned for another update...

Text Tools Firefox OS app

Ok, I just submitted my first packaged app to Mozilla Marketplace. Fingers crossed that it gets approved. Current status is:

This app is pending review by a Firefox Marketplace reviewer.
Queue position: 111 of 111
Estimated waiting time: 3 working days
You will receive an email when the review is complete.

Some observations for the publishing process:

• You'll need Mozilla Persona account to login as developer, which is quite handy in Mozilla's universe.  
• Packaged apps are supported only on Firefox OS devices. If you're targeting wider area go for hosted apps, which are supported also on the browser (both desktop and Android)
• Most of the app settings are taken from the manifest. You'll still need to enter app's Privacy Policy and Screenshots (320x480px) or video in WebM format.

Updating Firefox OS on ZTE Open

I bought an ZTE Open recently on e-bay and it came with Firefox OS version 1.0, which is pretty old. In December, ZTE released official update for the phone.

To update the OS, you'll need an SD Card and also don't forget to check which version of the OS you're using (US or UK). More details (and screenshots) can be found on Mozilla Hacks.

One strange thing I noticed after the upgrade is that I get notification about new version of the marketplace, and when I try to update it, the installation always fails. My guess is that this may be related to running the phone without SIM card.

I'm looking forward to create my first Firefox OS app. Unfortunately the device still cannot be used for testing with this OS build, so I guess I'll have to use the emulator.

Note that you can always prepare your own build following this great tutorial.