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Commodore Releases Flip Phone

46 points

by bartekrutkowski

1 hour ago

| past

| 10 comments

| commodore.net

| HN

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rickdeckard

6 minutes ago

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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])

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pimterry

11 minutes ago

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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.

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jwr

26 minutes ago

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

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st_goliath

39 minutes ago

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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"

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bilekas

21 minutes ago

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> A flip phone with the apps you need: WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram. Music, podcasts, maps

Honestly, that sounds appealing to me at least. Those are the only communication channels I have, so it suits. Maps if I get lost somewhere. And some spotify. I pretty much have that now, but just with constant privacy breaches and issues I need to stay on top of.

> There's a missed opportunity for a better ToS joke here: "Beige... the final frontier"

I don't think this product will actually ever launch, but if it does, it absolutely MUST have a beige model.

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oneeyedpigeon

11 minutes ago

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> Honestly, that sounds appealing to me at least.

Absolutely, same here—but it has to look good. I know that's subjective, but this thing looks atrocious.

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Gracana

39 minutes ago

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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.

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nkmnz

22 minutes ago

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I had my first flip phone at the age of ... 12! And I can definitely see myself replacing my iPhone 12 with something like that once its battery has died. I don't need 99% of functionality of a smartphone, because I own (and carry along with me) a computer with a physical keyboard at all times - except those where this phone would do 99.9% of the jobs a smartphone would do.

Edit: just saw the price point. Nevermind, not going to spend more than 50 bucks on that.

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vintagedave

15 minutes ago

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

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grvbck

47 minutes ago

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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.

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rob74

39 minutes ago

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Well yeah, it looks like a Motorola, and the Motorola flip phones looked like the Star Trek TOS communicators (which they acknowledged by calling their first flip phone the "StarTAC"). And the article also references Star Trek. Sure, the kind of nostalgic people that are in the market for a Commodore phone probably also have the same feelings about Star Trek, so why not...

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disastronaut

27 minutes ago

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> but does it bring anything new to the table?

No, but that's the point. It has all of the good parts of a smart phone, none of the bad ones. Do other dumb phones run Signal or Maps?

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ChrisRR

4 minutes ago

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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

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wewewedxfgdf

53 minutes ago

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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.

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jhbadger

40 minutes ago

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I honestly don't think Perryfractic would be that sad if it doesn't last (assuming he, Lady Fractic, and child and dogs don't become homeless in the bankruptcy) He knows perfectly well that the audience for Commodore nostalgia is small and aging and is just enjoying being part of the scene while it lasts.

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butchkass

52 minutes ago

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  -> $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.

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Anonasty

36 minutes ago

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Then it's not literally for you and people who are dependent on social media. It's almost like there is a growing populace who don't want to be there 24/7. Also most people would access the needed sites or social media via laptop or desktop. Not to mention that you feel that it's "corny nostalgia-bait" gives me vibes that you are younger than the target audience of this device even is.

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wewewedxfgdf

48 minutes ago

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The new Commodore seems to see itself not as a retro nostalgia vintage computer company, but an anti social media company - which explains this product.