diff --git a/modules/angular2/core.js b/modules/angular2/core.js
index 87419c5b70..cad9b91e40 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/core.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/core.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ export * from './src/core/annotations/visibility';
 export * from './src/core/compiler/interfaces';
 export * from './src/core/annotations/template';
 export * from './src/core/application';
+export * from './src/core/application_tokens';
 export * from './src/core/annotations/di';
 
 export * from './src/core/compiler/compiler';
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/core/application.js b/modules/angular2/src/core/application.js
index fac037c01a..fd668ced1e 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/src/core/application.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/core/application.js
@@ -28,6 +28,13 @@ import {StyleInliner} from 'angular2/src/render/dom/shadow_dom/style_inliner';
 import {Component} from 'angular2/src/core/annotations/annotations';
 import {PrivateComponentLoader} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/private_component_loader';
 import {TestabilityRegistry, Testability} from 'angular2/src/core/testability/testability';
+import {
+  appViewToken,
+  appChangeDetectorToken,
+  appElementToken,
+  appComponentAnnotatedTypeToken,
+  appDocumentToken,
+} from './application_tokens';
 
 var _rootInjector: Injector;
 
@@ -37,12 +44,6 @@ var _rootBindings = [
   TestabilityRegistry
 ];
 
-export var appViewToken = new OpaqueToken('AppView');
-export var appChangeDetectorToken = new OpaqueToken('AppChangeDetector');
-export var appElementToken = new OpaqueToken('AppElement');
-export var appComponentAnnotatedTypeToken = new OpaqueToken('AppComponentAnnotatedType');
-export var appDocumentToken = new OpaqueToken('AppDocument');
-
 function _injectorBindings(appComponentType): List<Binding> {
   return [
       bind(appDocumentToken).toValue(DOM.defaultDoc()),
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/core/application_tokens.js b/modules/angular2/src/core/application_tokens.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9f0004b1ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/core/application_tokens.js
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import {OpaqueToken} from 'angular2/di';
+
+export var appViewToken = new OpaqueToken('AppView');
+export var appChangeDetectorToken = new OpaqueToken('AppChangeDetector');
+export var appElementToken = new OpaqueToken('AppElement');
+export var appComponentAnnotatedTypeToken = new OpaqueToken('AppComponentAnnotatedType');
+export var appDocumentToken = new OpaqueToken('AppDocument');
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/mock/vm_turn_zone_mock.js b/modules/angular2/src/mock/vm_turn_zone_mock.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0dcd479caa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/mock/vm_turn_zone_mock.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import {VmTurnZone} from 'angular2/src/core/zone/vm_turn_zone';
+
+export class MockVmTurnZone extends VmTurnZone {
+  constructor() {
+    super({enableLongStackTrace: false});
+  }
+
+  run(fn) {
+    fn();
+  }
+
+  runOutsideAngular(fn) {
+    fn();
+  }
+}
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/lang_utils.dart b/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/lang_utils.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9717dc3e62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/lang_utils.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+import 'dart:mirrors';
+
+Type getTypeOf(instance) => instance.runtimeType;
+
+dynamic instantiateType(Type type, [List params = const []]) {
+  var cm = reflectClass(type);
+  return cm.newInstance(new Symbol(''), params).reflectee;
+}
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/lang_utils.es6 b/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/lang_utils.es6
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b3c42ff193
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/lang_utils.es6
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+export function getTypeOf(instance) {
+  return instance.constructor;
+}
+
+export function instantiateType(type: Function, params: Array = []) {
+  var instance = Object.create(type.prototype);
+  instance.constructor.apply(instance, params);
+  return instance;
+}
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/test_bed.js b/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/test_bed.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7de912ebcc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/test_bed.js
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+import {Injector} from 'angular2/di';
+
+import {Type, isPresent, BaseException} from 'angular2/src/facade/lang';
+import {Promise} from 'angular2/src/facade/async';
+import {isBlank} from 'angular2/src/facade/lang';
+import {List} from 'angular2/src/facade/collection';
+
+import {Template} from 'angular2/src/core/annotations/template';
+
+import {TemplateResolver} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/template_resolver';
+import {Compiler} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/compiler';
+import {View} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/view';
+
+import {EventManager} from 'angular2/src/render/dom/events/event_manager';
+
+import {queryView} from './utils';
+import {instantiateType, getTypeOf} from './lang_utils';
+
+export class TestBed {
+  _injector: Injector;
+
+  constructor(injector: Injector) {
+    this._injector = injector;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Overrides the [Template] of a [Component].
+   *
+   * @see setInlineTemplate() to only override the html
+   *
+   * @param {Type} component
+   * @param {Template} template
+   */
+  overrideTemplate(component: Type, template: Template): void {
+    this._injector.get(TemplateResolver).setTemplate(component, template);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Overrides only the html of a [Component].
+   * All the other propoerties of the component's [Template] are preserved.
+   *
+   * @param {Type} component
+   * @param {string} html
+   */
+  setInlineTemplate(component: Type, html: string): void {
+    this._injector.get(TemplateResolver).setInlineTemplate(component, html);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Overrides the directives from the component [Template].
+   *
+   * @param {Type} component
+   * @param {Type} from
+   * @param {Type} to
+   */
+  overrideDirective(component: Type, from: Type, to: Type): void {
+    this._injector.get(TemplateResolver).overrideTemplateDirective(component, from, to);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Creates a [View] for the given component.
+   *
+   * Only either a component or a context needs to be specified but both can be provided for
+   * advanced use cases (ie subclassing the context).
+   *
+   * @param {Type} component
+   * @param {*} context
+   * @param {string} html Use as the component template when specified (shortcut for setInlineTemplate)
+   * @return {Promise<ViewProxy>}
+   */
+  createView(component: Type,
+             {context = null, html = null}: {context:any, html: string} = {}): Promise<View> {
+
+    if (isBlank(component) && isBlank(context)) {
+      throw new BaseException('You must specified at least a component or a context');
+    }
+
+    if (isBlank(component)) {
+      component = getTypeOf(context);
+    } else if (isBlank(context)) {
+      context = instantiateType(component);
+    }
+
+    if (isPresent(html)) {
+      this.setInlineTemplate(component, html);
+    }
+
+    return this._injector.get(Compiler).compile(component).then((pv) => {
+      var eventManager = this._injector.get(EventManager);
+      var view = pv.instantiate(null, eventManager);
+      view.hydrate(this._injector, null, null, context, null);
+      return new ViewProxy(view);
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Proxy to [View] return by [TestBed.createView] which offers a high level API for tests.
+ */
+export class ViewProxy {
+  _view: View;
+
+  constructor(view: View) {
+    this._view = view;
+  }
+
+  get context(): any {
+    return this._view.context;
+  }
+
+  get nodes(): List {
+    return this._view.nodes;
+  }
+
+  detectChanges(): void {
+    this._view.changeDetector.detectChanges();
+  }
+
+  querySelector(selector) {
+    return queryView(this._view, selector);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @returns {View} return the underlying [View].
+   *
+   * Prefer using the other methods which hide implementation details.
+   */
+  get rawView(): View {
+    return this._view;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/test_injector.js b/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/test_injector.js
index f7bb1ce94b..7fe3f696b2 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/test_injector.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/test_lib/test_injector.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import {bind} from 'angular2/di';
+
 import {Compiler, CompilerCache} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/compiler';
 import {Reflector, reflector} from 'angular2/src/reflection/reflection';
 import {Parser, Lexer, ChangeDetection, dynamicChangeDetection} from 'angular2/change_detection';
@@ -6,13 +7,25 @@ import {ExceptionHandler} from 'angular2/src/core/exception_handler';
 import {TemplateLoader} from 'angular2/src/render/dom/compiler/template_loader';
 import {TemplateResolver} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/template_resolver';
 import {DirectiveMetadataReader} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/directive_metadata_reader';
-import {ShadowDomStrategy, NativeShadowDomStrategy} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/shadow_dom_strategy';
+import {ShadowDomStrategy, EmulatedUnscopedShadowDomStrategy} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/shadow_dom_strategy';
 import {XHR} from 'angular2/src/services/xhr';
-import {XHRMock} from 'angular2/src/mock/xhr_mock';
 import {ComponentUrlMapper} from 'angular2/src/core/compiler/component_url_mapper';
 import {UrlResolver} from 'angular2/src/services/url_resolver';
 import {StyleUrlResolver} from 'angular2/src/render/dom/shadow_dom/style_url_resolver';
 import {StyleInliner} from 'angular2/src/render/dom/shadow_dom/style_inliner';
+import {VmTurnZone} from 'angular2/src/core/zone/vm_turn_zone';
+
+import {DOM} from 'angular2/src/dom/dom_adapter';
+
+import {appDocumentToken} from 'angular2/src/core/application_tokens';
+
+import {EventManager, DomEventsPlugin} from 'angular2/src/render/dom/events/event_manager';
+
+import {MockTemplateResolver} from 'angular2/src/mock/template_resolver_mock';
+import {XHRMock} from 'angular2/src/mock/xhr_mock';
+import {MockVmTurnZone} from 'angular2/src/mock/vm_turn_zone_mock';
+
+import {TestBed} from './test_bed';
 
 import {Injector} from 'angular2/di';
 
@@ -40,11 +53,23 @@ function _getRootBindings() {
  * @returns {*[]}
  */
 function _getAppBindings() {
+  var appDoc;
+
+  // The document is only available in browser environment
+  try {
+    appDoc = DOM.defaultDoc();
+  } catch(e) {
+    appDoc = null;
+  }
+
   return [
-    bind(ShadowDomStrategy).toClass(NativeShadowDomStrategy),
+    bind(appDocumentToken).toValue(appDoc),
+    bind(ShadowDomStrategy).toFactory(
+        (styleUrlResolver, doc) => new EmulatedUnscopedShadowDomStrategy(styleUrlResolver, doc.head),
+        [StyleUrlResolver, appDocumentToken]),
     Compiler,
     CompilerCache,
-    TemplateResolver,
+    bind(TemplateResolver).toClass(MockTemplateResolver),
     bind(ChangeDetection).toValue(dynamicChangeDetection),
     TemplateLoader,
     DirectiveMetadataReader,
@@ -55,7 +80,15 @@ function _getAppBindings() {
     ComponentUrlMapper,
     UrlResolver,
     StyleUrlResolver,
-    StyleInliner
+    StyleInliner,
+    TestBed,
+    bind(VmTurnZone).toClass(MockVmTurnZone),
+    bind(EventManager).toFactory((zone) => {
+      var plugins = [
+        new DomEventsPlugin(),
+      ];
+      return new EventManager(plugins, zone);
+    }, [VmTurnZone]),
   ];
 }
 
diff --git a/modules/angular2/test/core/application_spec.js b/modules/angular2/test/core/application_spec.js
index 561eb38a00..9b52e04fa7 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/test/core/application_spec.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/test/core/application_spec.js
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ import {
   xdescribe,
   xit,
 } from 'angular2/test_lib';
-import {bootstrap, appDocumentToken, appElementToken}
-    from 'angular2/src/core/application';
+import {bootstrap} from 'angular2/src/core/application';
+import {appDocumentToken, appElementToken} from 'angular2/src/core/application_tokens';
 import {Component, Decorator} from 'angular2/src/core/annotations/annotations';
 import {DOM} from 'angular2/src/dom/dom_adapter';
 import {ListWrapper} from 'angular2/src/facade/collection';