RetailMode Archival Project

Note

Many thanks to SimbianTech for the banner!

A project that’s been stuck in my head for ages, keeping me curious - finally a reality!

What is RetailMode?

As is mentioned in the name, it’s demo software that’s preloaded/manually loaded on devices to be left plugged in and running 24/7 on a phone kiosk in a store. Its only purpose is to attract customers about the device’s features and hardware to sell more units.

Why is it relevant to you?

I’ve always been fascinated about these screensavers after I’ve accidentally stumbled across APKs to activate it (which didn’t work), though found said content on YouTube. Nowadays as my phone collection expanded and meeting people with similar interests (SimbianTech, LRM Media and theubusu), so did my screensaver collection! I think they’re interesting to look back and see how Samsung (primary brand in my collection) evolved over time with their hardware and what features they boasted about!

What is an LDU and RDU?

Some phones and tablets have these labels to identify if it’s a proper store demo unit or an off-the-shelf device, let’s break it down.

LDU - Live Demo Unit

These devices are rare and no longer manufactured (at least for Samsung), but they stand out by not having a baseband modem (no phone calls or mobile data) and a useless SIM tray. You can identify an LDU in 6 ways:

Tiny print on the back of the device

"Live Demo Unit" can be seen upon bootup

A "Not For Sale" text can be seen behind the battery on older models (SimbianTech's image)

Model number - often times demo units use an X at the end

Included software or different behavior from a regular unit

If you received it with a box, the box clearly identifies itself as an LDU

There's no IMEI in software (usually not a clear indicator, sometimes a faulty baseband/firmware will also report null in IMEI)

There's no IMEI internally (on the battery), you can also spot a missing modem (on the left)

RDU - Real Demo Unit

These devices are just off-the-shelf devices, with a working baseband modem and demo software usually manually pre-loaded by the store itself. These are the now primary choice for Samsung devices.

Differences from an LDU:

  • No etching on the back of the device
  • Normal model number (some LDUs use the regular model number)
  • Has IMEIs inside and out
  • Doesn’t mention “Not For Resale” anywhere
  • Can connect to a mobile network with a SIM card

One thing that they do share is the software experience, while LDUs come pre-loaded, RDUs do not, but even after manually loading the software, they’re basically 1:1 in terms of providing a demo experience.

Where can I get an LDU?

Getting your hands on an LDU is, as mentioned, hard and also expensive. If you’re willing to pay, there are many online marketplaces to check or locally!

  • E-Waste recycling centers
  • Auctions
  • Car boot sales/garage sales
  • Vinted
  • eBay

Where can I try these myself?

I’ve got 2 places where such content is uploaded, one of them isn’t as updated (due to storage limitations) while the other includes extra goodies (dumped MP4s, RetailMode.APK+RetailContent.main), check them out here!

  • AeroNook RetailMode (Moved exclusively to Archive.org due to storage limitations);
  • Archived RetailMode (contains extras and newer devices).

Why is my [device model] missing?

I can’t archive everything, some of it is already lost media.

Why not [other brand]?

These brands either don’t offer access to retail software (without the hardware) or requires a matching device to be online:

  • Apple - requires registering a device with DemoUnit (cannot be offline);
  • Google - seems like it’s impossible as a consumer?;
  • Huawei - same fate as Google;
  • Xiaomi - confirmed to ship LDUs (Live Demo Units) instead of providing manual options to load demo content;
  • Other brands - haven’t looked into.

Hey! I’ve got access to more demo content!

If you:

  • Have access to demo content that’s not archived;
  • Know a way to activate “retail mode” on other brands/types of devices.

Please reach out to me via my contact details, let’s talk!

Hey, I really like your project but I have nothing, is there any way I can help?

Absolutely, spreading the word about the project can bring awareness into preserving such content or even a small donation can help me fund my silly projects. I might look into getting an LDU or modern-day Samsung phone (or other brand if it can be archived) that I can use to rip screensavers from. Any amount of donation helps, even if it’s not much! My Ko-Fi is linked in the sidebar of my website if you want to help!