Smartphone users absolutely love customizing their handsets. That desire extends from the outside, with cases or even Moto-X-style custom hardware, all the way to the phone’s software, setting personalized wallpapers or ringtones. That’s just all the surface-level stuff, though, and some users will take things much further, going the custom ROM route or installing alternate launchers to really change their phones’ look-and-feel. Sony has picked up on this interest, and in an effort to make smartphone customization as easy as possible for its users, announces the launch of Xperia Themes.

The Xperia Themes engine allows owners of supported devices to download and install theme packs, replacing as many as 280 Android UI elements with custom alternatives. While the look changes with each one, the core functionality stays untouched. In many ways this reminds us of efforts like Themer, but we can see it appealing to phone owners who may be a little apprehensive about a third party solution, preferring the Sony-approved nature of Xperia Themes.

The software is arriving as part of Android 4.3 updates going out to Xperia handsets. Once installed, individual themes can be retrieved from either Google Play or through Sony’s own Sony Select service.

Source: Sony
Via: Droid-life