diff --git a/apps/tests/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts b/apps/tests/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts
index 8c316b505..bbf7c6a85 100644
--- a/apps/tests/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts
+++ b/apps/tests/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts
@@ -133,6 +133,26 @@ export function test_loadWithOptionsFromTNSPath() {
     TKUnit.assert(v instanceof Label, "Expected result: Label; Actual result: " + v + ";");
 };
 
+export function test_loadWithAttributes() {
+    var lText = "Nativescript rocks";
+    var lWrap = true;
+    var lColor = "#FF0000"; // red
+
+    var v = builder.load({
+        path: "tns_modules/ui/label",
+        name: "Label",
+        attributes: {
+            text: lText,
+            textWrap: lWrap,
+            style: "color: " + lColor + ";"
+        }
+    });
+
+    TKUnit.assertEqual(v["text"], lText, "Expected result: true; Actual result: " + v + ";");
+    TKUnit.assertEqual(v["textWrap"], true, "Expected result: true; Actual result: " + v + ";");
+    helper.assertViewColor(v, lColor);
+};
+
 export function test_parse_ShouldNotCrashWithoutExports() {
     var file = fs.File.fromPath(fs.path.join(__dirname, "mainPage.xml"));
     var text = file.readTextSync();
@@ -879,4 +899,4 @@ export function test_hasSourceCodeLocations() {
     var label = page.getViewById("label");
     var labelSource = Source.get(label);
     TKUnit.assertEqual(labelSource.toString(), "file:///app/" + basePath + "examples/test-page.xml:3:5");
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/build/run-testsapp.grunt.js b/build/run-testsapp.grunt.js
index 7ffd381dc..285a3ac7c 100644
--- a/build/run-testsapp.grunt.js
+++ b/build/run-testsapp.grunt.js
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ module.exports = {
             },
             shell: {
                 collectAndroidLog: {
-                    command: "./expect.exp " + "'adb logcat' " + localCfg.outFile,
+                    command: "./expect.exp " + "'adb logcat *:D' " + localCfg.outFile,
                     options: {
                         execOptions: {
                             maxBuffer: Infinity
diff --git a/ui/builder/builder.d.ts b/ui/builder/builder.d.ts
index e2262d644..57318bb68 100644
--- a/ui/builder/builder.d.ts
+++ b/ui/builder/builder.d.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
     export interface LoadOptions {
         path: string;
         name: string;
+        attributes?: any;
         exports?: any;
         page?: page.Page;
     }
diff --git a/ui/builder/builder.ts b/ui/builder/builder.ts
index f1c642310..73d3dfa18 100644
--- a/ui/builder/builder.ts
+++ b/ui/builder/builder.ts
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ export function load(pathOrOptions: string | LoadOptions, context?: any): View {
     if (!context) {
         if (!isString(pathOrOptions)) {
             let options = <LoadOptions>pathOrOptions;
-            componentModule = loadCustomComponent(options.path, options.name, undefined, options.exports, options.page);
+            componentModule = loadCustomComponent(options.path, options.name, options.attributes, options.exports, options.page);
         } else {
             let path = <string>pathOrOptions;
             componentModule = loadInternal(path);
diff --git a/ui/builder/component-builder.d.ts b/ui/builder/component-builder.d.ts
index 24711fc29..8da3f4278 100644
--- a/ui/builder/component-builder.d.ts
+++ b/ui/builder/component-builder.d.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ declare module "ui/builder/component-builder" {
     import view = require("ui/core/view");
 
     export function getComponentModule(elementName: string, namespace: string, attributes: Object, exports: Object): ComponentModule;
-    export function setPropertyValue(instance: view.View, instanceModuleExports: Object, pageExports: Object, propertyName: string, propertyValue: string) : void;
+    export function setPropertyValue(instance: view.View, instanceModuleExports: Object, pageExports: Object, propertyName: string, propertyValue: any) : void;
 
     export interface ComponentModule {
         component: view.View;
diff --git a/ui/builder/component-builder.ts b/ui/builder/component-builder.ts
index 7fbef2f21..b82740b2e 100644
--- a/ui/builder/component-builder.ts
+++ b/ui/builder/component-builder.ts
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ export function getComponentModule(elementName: string, namespace: string, attri
     return componentModule;
 }
 
-export function setPropertyValue(instance: View, instanceModule: Object, exports: Object, propertyName: string, propertyValue: string) {
+export function setPropertyValue(instance: View, instanceModule: Object, exports: Object, propertyName: string, propertyValue: any) {
     // Note: instanceModule can be null if we are loading custom compnenet with no code-behind.
 
     if (isBinding(propertyValue) && instance.bind) {
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ export function setPropertyValue(instance: View, instanceModule: Object, exports
         if (!attrHandled && (<any>instance)._applyXmlAttribute) {
             attrHandled = (<any>instance)._applyXmlAttribute(propertyName, propertyValue);
         }
-        if (!attrHandled) {           
+        if (!attrHandled) {
             instance[propertyName] = convertString(propertyValue);
         }
     }
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ function getBindingExpressionFromAttribute(value: string): string {
     return value.replace("{{", "").replace("}}", "").trim();
 }
 
-function isBinding(value: string): boolean {
+function isBinding(value: any): boolean {
     var isBinding;
 
     if (isString(value)) {
diff --git a/ui/builder/special-properties.d.ts b/ui/builder/special-properties.d.ts
index 66ed2b3be..e233ae523 100644
--- a/ui/builder/special-properties.d.ts
+++ b/ui/builder/special-properties.d.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 declare module "ui/builder/special-properties" {
     import view = require("ui/core/view");
 
-    export type PropertySetter = (instance: view.View, propertyValue: string) => void;
+    export type PropertySetter = (instance: view.View, propertyValue: any) => void;
     export function registerSpecialProperty(name: string, setter: PropertySetter): void;
     export function getSpecialPropertySetter(name: string): PropertySetter;
 }
diff --git a/ui/builder/special-properties.ts b/ui/builder/special-properties.ts
index 83596513d..e8d8b6c74 100644
--- a/ui/builder/special-properties.ts
+++ b/ui/builder/special-properties.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import view = require("ui/core/view");
 
-export type PropertySetter = (instance: view.View, propertyValue: string) => void;
+export type PropertySetter = (instance: view.View, propertyValue: any) => void;
 
 var specialProperties: Map<string, PropertySetter> = new Map<string, PropertySetter>();
 
diff --git a/utils/utils-common.ts b/utils/utils-common.ts
index d3db424b9..e3e9f30df 100644
--- a/utils/utils-common.ts
+++ b/utils/utils-common.ts
@@ -34,10 +34,12 @@ export function escapeRegexSymbols(source: string): string {
     return source.replace(escapeRegex, "\\$&");
 }
 
-export function convertString(value: string): any {
+export function convertString(value: any): any {
     var result;
-    
-    if (value.trim() === "") {
+
+    if (!types.isString(value)) {
+        result = value;
+    } else if (value.trim() === "") {
         result = value;
     } else {
         // Try to convert value to number.
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@ export function convertString(value: string): any {
             result = value;
         }
     }
-    
+
     return result;
 }
 
@@ -131,4 +133,4 @@ export function isDataURI(uri: string): boolean {
     var firstSegment = uri.trim().split(',')[0];
 
     return firstSegment && firstSegment.indexOf("data:") === 0 && firstSegment.indexOf('base64') >= 0;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/utils/utils.d.ts b/utils/utils.d.ts
index b5381759b..72889d093 100644
--- a/utils/utils.d.ts
+++ b/utils/utils.d.ts
@@ -240,5 +240,5 @@
      * Converts string value to number or boolean.
      * @param value The original value. 
      */
-    export function convertString(value: string): any    
+    export function convertString(value: any): any    
 }