We all know that cellular carriers love to get their logo, name, and trade-dress everywhere they can on a phone — even inside the UI itself. When carriers started replacing the “Downloads” tab in the old market with their name and app recommendations, many objected — myself included.

By now you’re likely familiar with the new Market app that’s starting to show up on many Android-powered phones. Love it or hate it, the new Market app is certainly different, and eventually coming to the majority of Android-powered phones. Following the UI changes in Android Gingerbread, the new market flaunts a “greener” theme. The carrier’s “tab” is much more subdued and less “objectionable” in this iteration of the Market — which may not be sitting too well with the carriers.

With a more “festive” objective in mind, an XDA-Developer who calls himself Natemz decided to turn the normally “green” Android Market a bright shade of Holiday Red. If you’d like more information about how to install this “red” version of the new Market on your Android, head over to the thread at XDA-Developers.

But this got me thinking: what’s keeping cellular carriers from “custom-theming” the Market app on devices they sell you? What other parts of the OS can be themed in a similar fashion? How would you feel if your carrier “updated” your phone to a new theme, sporting their colors and trade-dress in every nook and cranny.

Source: XDA-Developers