diff --git a/lib/http.dart b/lib/http.dart
index 20dbd15bb..f9d6801c0 100644
--- a/lib/http.dart
+++ b/lib/http.dart
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ part of angular;
 // NOTE(deboer): This should be a generic utility class, but lets make sure
 // it works in this case first!
 class HttpFutures {
-  value(x) => new async.Future.value(x);
+  async.Future value(x) => new async.Future.value(x);
 }
 
 class UrlRewriter {
@@ -11,9 +11,18 @@ class UrlRewriter {
 }
 
 class HttpBackend {
-  getString(String url, {bool withCredentials, void onProgress(dom.ProgressEvent e)}) {
-    return dom.HttpRequest.getString(url, withCredentials: withCredentials, onProgress: onProgress);
-  }
+  async.Future request(String url,
+      {String method, bool withCredentials, String responseType,
+      String mimeType, Map<String, String> requestHeaders, sendData,
+      void onProgress(dom.ProgressEvent e)}) =>
+    dom.HttpRequest.request(url,
+        method: method,
+        withCredentials: withCredentials,
+        responseType: responseType,
+        mimeType: mimeType,
+        requestHeaders: requestHeaders,
+        sendData: sendData,
+        onProgress: onProgress);
 }
 
 class Http {
@@ -24,7 +33,22 @@ class Http {
 
   Http(UrlRewriter this.rewriter, HttpBackend this.backend, HttpFutures this.futures);
 
-  async.Future<String> getString(String rawUrl, {bool withCredentials, void onProgress(dom.ProgressEvent e), Cache cache}) {
+  async.Future<String> getString(String url,
+      {bool withCredentials, void onProgress(ProgressEvent e), Cache cache}) {
+    return request(url,
+        withCredentials: withCredentials,
+        onProgress: onProgress,
+        cache: cache).then((xhr) => xhr.responseText);
+  }
+
+  // TODO(deboer): The cache is keyed on the url only.  It should be keyed on
+  //     (url, method, mimeType, requestHeaders, ...)
+  //     Better yet, we should be using a HTTP standard cache.
+  async.Future request(String rawUrl,
+      {String method, bool withCredentials, String responseType,
+      String mimeType, Map<String, String> requestHeaders, sendData,
+      void onProgress(dom.ProgressEvent e),
+      Cache cache}) {
     String url = rewriter(rawUrl);
 
     // We return a pending request only if caching is enabled.
@@ -35,7 +59,14 @@ class Http {
     if (cachedValue != null) {
       return futures.value(cachedValue);
     }
-    var result = backend.getString(url, withCredentials: withCredentials, onProgress: onProgress).then((value) {
+    var result = backend.request(url,
+        method: method,
+        withCredentials: withCredentials,
+        responseType: responseType,
+        mimeType: mimeType,
+        requestHeaders: requestHeaders,
+        sendData: sendData,
+        onProgress: onProgress).then((value) {
       if (cache != null) {
         cache.put(url, value);
       }
@@ -49,3 +80,4 @@ class Http {
     return result;
   }
 }
+
diff --git a/test/_http.dart b/test/_http.dart
index 3e6e82140..a6d6322df 100644
--- a/test/_http.dart
+++ b/test/_http.dart
@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@ library ng_mock_http;
 
 
 import 'dart:async';
-import 'dart:html';
-import 'package:angular/angular.dart';
+import '_specs.dart';
 
 class MockHttp extends Http {
   Map<String, MockHttpData> gets = {};
@@ -62,6 +61,13 @@ class MockHttpFutures extends HttpFutures {
   }
 }
 
+// NOTE(deboer): If I try to extend HttpRequest, I get an error:
+// class 'MockHttpRequest' is trying to extend a native fields class, but library '_http.dart' has no native resolvers
+class MockHttpRequest /*extends HttpRequest*/ {
+  String responseText;
+  MockHttpRequest(this.responseText);
+}
+
 class MockHttpBackend extends HttpBackend {
   Map<String, MockHttpData> gets = {};
   List completersAndValues = [];
@@ -81,14 +87,17 @@ class MockHttpBackend extends HttpBackend {
     }
   }
 
-  getString(String url, {bool withCredentials, void onProgress(ProgressEvent e)}) {
+  Future<HttpRequest> request(String url,
+      {String method, bool withCredentials, String responseType,
+      String mimeType, Map<String, String> requestHeaders, sendData,
+      void onProgress(ProgressEvent e)}) {
     if (!gets.containsKey(url)) throw "Unexpected URL $url $gets";
     var data = gets[url];
     data.times--;
     if (data.times <= 0) {
       gets.remove(url);
     }
-    var expectedValue = data.value;
+    var expectedValue = new MockHttpRequest(data.value);
     var completer = new Completer.sync();
     completersAndValues.add([completer, expectedValue]);
     return completer.future;
diff --git a/test/http_spec.dart b/test/http_spec.dart
index e812e4b04..9ecb5a225 100644
--- a/test/http_spec.dart
+++ b/test/http_spec.dart
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ var CACHED_VALUE = 'cached_value';
 
 
 class FakeCache implements Cache {
-  get(x) => x == 'f' ? CACHED_VALUE : null;
+  get(x) => x == 'f' ? new MockHttpRequest(CACHED_VALUE) : null;
   put(_,__) => null;
 
 }