If you are considering to give your Galaxy Tab 10.1 some makeover, then we have just the thing that might make your day. If you are talking about themes, Microsoft’s Metro UI is probably one of the best themes out there with its clean and nice interface. Thanks to the guys at XDA, you can enjoy the same look and feel as Metro UI on your Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Many people like the Metro UI, which first launched with Windows Phone 7, because of its clean and colorful look.  XDA Developers member BroBot175, has found a way to let you enjoy a Metro UI look-alike on your Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The Metro UI theme reported works with several custom ROMs based on either Android 3.0 Honeycomb or Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.  Among the currently compatible custom ROMs are GalaxyTask ROM, Overcome 3G ROM, Mabalito 3G ROM, Seraphimserapis Wi-Fi, and ICS-based AOKP (Android Open Kang Project) builds.  The theme may also possibly work on AOKP-based custom ROMs.

Metro UI is now available for android devices running on Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich. Although the UI can be applied to those devices, specific features like live tile updates are not working but as far as the aesthetics is concerned it really looks good. Also the theme is still on an early development stage so expect some bugs and maybe some issues on the theme. Do you want to try Metro UI? If you do, see the requirements and instructions below.

Requirements

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 — rooted and with ClockworkMod Recovery installed.  (See our guide on how to root the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.)
• Install ADW.Launcher (recommended) on your tablet, or any other custom launcher that allows you to resize widgets.
• Download the appropriate theme package for your custom ROM and Android version:
  • GalaxyTask ROM (Honeycomb)
  • Overcome 3G ROM (Honeycomb)
  • AOKP Wi-Fi ROM (Ice Cream Sandwich)
  • AOKP 3G ROM (Ice Cream Sandwich)
  • Mabalito 3G ROM (Ice Cream Sandwich)
  • Seraphimserapis Wi-Fi ROM (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Download the Metro UI Tiles B4 package from here (MetroUITiles B4.zip, 8.5 MB)

Instructions

NOTE: Use this guide at your own risk. We will not be held liable for any damage on your device as a result of following this guide.

1. Copy the theme package to your tablet’s internal SD card.
2. Turn off your tablet.
3. Reboot the tablet into ClockworkMod Recovery by turning on the tablet and holding down the Volume Up and Power buttons as soon as you see the Samsung logo.
4. Select Install zip from sdcard > Choose zip from sdcard.  Browse for the theme package ZIP file and select it.  Confirm that you want to flash the package.
5. Reboot the tablet after flashing the theme package.
6. Extract the Metro UI Tiles B4 package into a folder named “MetroUI” and copy all extracted files to the /sdcard directory on your tablet.  Also copy adw_ex_settings.xml to the root of your tablet’s SD card (i.e., bring it out of the MetroUI folder).
7. Open ADW.Launcher’s Settings screen.  Tap on Restore. Choose Restore Settings.
8. Launch the Desktop Visualiser app on your tablet.
9. Tap on the Menu key.  Choose Settings.
10. Enter the following suggested preferences (or you can set your own):
    • Touch Effect — None
    • Default Vibration — On
    • Text Color — (choose whatever you want)
    • Background Color — Transparent
    • Widget Usage — (deselect all except 4×4)
11. Go to your tablet’s homescreen.
12. Long-tap on a blank area of the screen.  Select Widgets.  Scroll down to Desktop Visualiser 4×4.  Tap OK.
13. Tap on the empty widget.  Tap Select Icon > Image file.  Select your favorite file manager from the list to open your file manager app so you can select an icon.
14. Navigate to the MetroUI folder on your SD card.  Open the Catagory Names folder (yes, that’s how the developer misspelled it).  Select start.png or another image from inside that folder.
15. Select “Select action” and choose “None.”
16. You’ll now be able to see the category name display in large size.  But, you’ll be resizing that later.
17. Long-tap on the image.  Select Edit.
18. Resize the category name into a 2×3 size.  Move the image to the top row.  (Do the same for other categories as you go.)
19. Return to the homescreen.
20. It’s time to set up tiles.  Long-tap anywhere on the homescreen.  Select “Widgets”.  Select Desktop Visualiser 4×4.  Tap OK.
21. Tap on the empty widget.  Select Select icon > Image file.  Select your preferred file manager from the list.
22. Using your file manager, navigate to the MetroUI folder on your SD card.  Open either the Big or Small folder and select the icon file you want to use for your app.
23. Select Select action.  Select the app that you want to be opened using the icon.  Select Clear for Label.
24. Resize your icon, which, at this point, might still be too huge.  Long-tap on your new icon, then select Edit.  For Big Tile, set the size to 2×2.  For Small Tile, set the size to 1×2.
25. For further assistance with additional tweaks to your theme, visit the developer’s official thread on XDA Developers.

Congratulations!  You have successfully dressed up your Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with the Metro UI theme.