This is what I love about the Android platform — it doesn’t matter how big, or small you are, or what specs you have, you can always be customized!!!

And customization it is — for one of the best-selling budget phones in the Galaxy Family, the Samsung Galaxy Ace. XDA member jinavs from Mumbai, India, has released a ROM which transforms the standard Android user interface of the Galaxy Ace to a fully featured  WP7 ( Windows Phone 7) UI — Cool, ain’t it?

So for those of you who have been drooling over the Nokia Lumia 800, but want to preserve your “droidity“, this is exactly the ROM for you!!

What makes this particular custom ROM interesting, is that the developer has put in efforts to replace some of the stock apps with WP7 themed apps, to preserve the feel of the Windows Phone experience. Personally, I stopped using Windows Mobile phones after the HTC Prophet ( aka the I-mate K-Jam), since the WM scene was stagnating at the version 6-6.5 stage — nothing new, nothing different, and then Android came along ( iOS came along too) and transformed the smartphone world.

But there is something about the Windows Phone 7 UI — and me being a hardcore console gamer at heart, I find the new UI very slickly XBOX 360-ish, and that just makes it cooler.

Lets have a quick look at the features of this ROM:

  • Completely De-Odexed
  • CF-ROOT B84 Kernel
  • Rooted
  • Included Apps like ADfree to make the phone completely ads free and Tweak Manager!
  • All system apps have WP7 icons
  • Working WP7 bot animation
  • WP7 keyboard
  • Green overscroll glow

Warning!
The steps and methods included in this guide are considered risky. Please do not attempt to try this unless you know exactly what you are doing, as it may render your device unusable, and your pocket lighter by the amount it takes to replace it. You have been forewarned!!!

Compatibility:
This ROM is compatible only and only with the Samsung Galaxy Ace  S5830. Please do not attempt to flash it on any other device. You can check your device model by going to Settings–>About Phone. We are not responsible for any damage that may be caused to your device.

Download Links

Pre-Installation requirements

  • Rooted Galaxy Ace with Clockworkmod Recovery installed. You an use this guide to Root your Ace.
  • Fully Charged Battery
  • Backup all your data. You can refer to this this excellent Android Backup Guide

Installation Steps

  1. Download the ROM file (Link provided above)
  2. Transfer the ROM’s zip file that you downloaded above in step 1 to your phone’s internal sdcard
  3. Power Off your Galaxy Ace. Wait for 5-6 seconds until you feel the vibration to confirm complete switch off.
  4. Then, press and hold these 2 buttons together: Home+Power till the Galaxy Ace logo shows up on-screen. You’ll boot into CWM recovery soon enough. (In recovery, use Volume keys to scroll up and down and power key to select an option. Use back key to go back).
  5. Once in CWM, Select “wipe data/factory reset”. Wait a while till the data wipe is complete.
  6. Now, select “install zip from sdcard”, then select “choose zip from sdcard”, then scroll to the “WP7_ROM.zip” file you transferred in step 2 above and select it. Then select “Yes, Install ____.zip”. The ROM will now start installing.
  7. Once the installation is complete, go back to the main menu &  select “Reboot system now”.
  8. That’s it, You should now be running the WP7 ROM on your Galaxy Ace!!
To customize this further, via custom icons, custom boot animation and custom fonts, you can visit the original development thread. Show this off to your friends, and let us know your thoughts, and theirs, in comments below.