Announced at Google I/O 2012, the Nexus 7 really is the most talked about tablet today. A quad-core chip, HD display along with the latest version of Android – 4.1 Jelly Bean – and a truly unmatched price make it one of the best tablets you can buy today.
The Nexus 7 is still a week or so away from release and yet we’re seeing all sorts of aftermarket customizations for it. The tablet was rooted a few days ago, we already have some custom ROMs available for it and today, we have come across a great mod for it that allows users to enjoy the full Android tablet user interface (UI) experience. It’s a very simple to apply hack as all it requires is changing the value of specific property under /system. Check out our step by step guide after the jump!
DISCLAIMER: You will void your warranty after rooting your device. Redmond Pie will not be held responsible for any damage incurred to your device as a result of following this guide. Follow at your own risk.
Please note that while this will get you a Tablet UI, some things – particularly fonts and the thumbnails in the app switcher – will not look correct. Workarounds to correct these issues are in the works and we’ll post them when we come across them!
Step 1: Root your Nexus 7.
Step 2: Download and install a root-enabled file explorer like File Expert or any other you like.
Step 3: Navigate to /system. There you will find a file named build.prop. Copy it and paste it someplace safe to keep as backup.
Step 4: Open up build.prop and look for a property named ro.sf.lcd_density. Its original value is 213, change it to 170. You can go lower if you like.
Step 5: Restart your Nexus 7.
If you followed the steps correctly, your Nexus 7 will boot up into a proper tablet UI instead of the stretched phone UI that it comes with by default. If you don’t like it, you can always restore the backup you took in Step 3 or change value of ro.sf.lcd_density to 213. But still, why would anyone would want to change that back, right?
For queries, please visit the official thread over on XDA Developers.
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