Commodore Releases Flip Phone

wewewedxfgdf

Seems a major shift in direction and a major distraction. I don't think the renewed Commodore will last too long. If you want a brand new C64 get em before they become .... collectors items.

butchkass

-> $500 -> Corny nostalgia-bait -> No web browser -> No social media -> System-level DNS blocking Lmfao. What even is the point of this ? I could see an argument for not allowing to install social media apps, but blocking me arbitrarily from even accessing them through a browser is crazy. The OS is Linux-based too, so there’s no technical constraint, they just went out of their way to add always-on parental control. For $500 (FIVE HUNDRED) you get a $30 dumb phone with Whatsapp. Wow.

grvbck

I really want to like this, but does it bring anything new to the table? I see the same low-effort buzzwords I've seen on other "dumb" phones. And the design…it looks like a Motorola.

st_goliath

This is really confusing brand/product combination. Who is it trying to appeal to? I'm pretty sure the people who have fond memories of growing up with a C64 or watching ToS are of an entirely different generation than those with fond memories of flip phones and cyber/color-puke ads for transparent plastic gadgets. > BASIC Beige Edition There's a missed opportunity for a better ToS joke here: "Beige... the final frontier"

Gracana

Retrocomputing Roundtable has talked about the new Commodore company over the course of a couple episodes, and I thought they brought up a good point about “what is it that people actually want from Commodore,” and the best answer they came up with is “to be 12 again.” A new C64 with modern video output, a disk emulator, a SID chip replacement so you don’t need an original… that’s all good, but beyond that, it’s hard to say. This phone, though? I don’t think anyone saw that coming, and I don’t see how this could possibly be the right move.

jwr

I am really happy someone is trying something new again. It isn't yet another iOS/Android clone, and I'm here for it!

vintagedave

Also here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48552570 (slightly different URL)

pimterry

Some scepticism here I see, but personally I think this is spot-on. I've been keen on a dumber phone for a while, but losing whatsapp & maps makes it a non-starter for any real use. This is an excellent middle ground. The aesthetic is cool, and building this on Sailfish but with Android compatibility is awesome. Big fan of the concept.

rickdeckard

Nice, but a little bit too thin on details to read this as more than "we ordered a Commodore-branded Sailfish-OS phone from an ODM". If it would be more "considerate" from hardware (or even software) perspective it could be compelling, but from the infos on that page it sounds more like a "memberberry" product (like e.g. a phone from Kodak, Sega, Atari,... built on the business decision of [product-cost] + [branding] = [potential price-premium of xxx USD])

ChrisRR

Meh, I find perryfractic's stuff to be more style over substance. It's interesting that he's releasing products, but not interesting enough for me to buy

andy_ppp

Damn, I was hoping it would look like an Amiga not a CRT candy iMac

AdamN

Two things need to change and this would be a hit: 1/ Find My support or similar (for parents who would give this to kids) 2/ WhatsApp?????? That is the ultimate social network so it should definitely not be there by default.

Hugsbox

This looks really awesome! It's pretty hard to wrap my head around the price though. $500 USD (so $700(!!!) Canadian) is pretty bizarre for what it is.

fooqux

I'm torn on the blocking of web browsers. Yeah, they can be used for getting to Facebook or whatever. But they are also used to access 99% of the world's info now. Seems like if you just wanted to block social media, a DNS block or even firewall would be a better option.

bkirkby

get grok on it and I'm in

bigupthewhole

What about the apps that we need but not everyone needs? Local train apps, bank identification etc. Can't really escape it

JKCalhoun

As a company (or a brand name I suppose, that markets nostalgia?) they're free of course to pursue any product they like. The retro vibes I'm getting from this one though involve "the Fonz" getting up on waterskis…

functionmouse

my kneejerk reaction was "plastic crap", but I'm happy to see Jolla getting any kind of OEM support.

clbrmbr

Hmm I imagine using a server to connect to signal/whatsapp or even email, then using a local model to classify and filter and trim messages and forwarding to SMS, and viceversa. I guess the trouble is I’d need many source numbers :thinking:.