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- Hacker News
- 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.
by grvbck - 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...by rob74
- > 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?
by disastronaut - I would possibly be interested in getting one. Sure, it's twice as expensive as other dumbphones (like TTfone TT990, Sidephone, Dumber Mini, Qin F21 Pro to name a few).
But I don't like that they have blocked all web browsers. I don't really mind that social media is blocked, I would probably not install it anyways. But a web browser... I don't really like that arbitrary apps are blocked.
I think it's the form factor and small screen size that would decrease your phone usage. So I think it would be enough with just being a flip phone with a small screen. Blocking apps feels a bit too much.
If I'm out and need to look something up, I would rather that it's a tedious experience with a small screen and T9 keyboard. Rather than not having the option at all.
by DanOpcode - I really like the concept, but I think the restrictions are a double-edged sword.
The form factor and Sailfish are a lot more appealing than 'apps blocked at a system level'.
Can it run the usual apps like banking apps which can be particular about Android 'trustworthiness'?
Unfortunately, a smartphone is a near-necessity for various things like that now.
by ectoloph - The restrictions are a good fit for children under 16.
As a parent you want to be able to reach them, and they want to reach their friend.
And as a parent you not want them waste their minds on YouTube garbage.
by nickserv - 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.by Hugsbox
- I like the idea, but I have major problems with their inclusion of Meta-owned WhatsApp. Any company which cares about privacy should throw WhatsApp into a volcano. That said, I understand why they include it as much of the world uses it as the default for some reason I still can't understand.
~~Anyway, I love the idea and would use something like this if it allowed me to choose a configuration at order time which could include or not include a set of available apps which are curated by the manufacturer. That way, the apps are immutable and the mission of the phone is preserved. Also, a real keyboard is an absolute must for apps like maps, telegram, and SMS.~~
Looks like you can indeed uninstall and install apps as you like.
by baggachipz - > inclusion of Meta-owned WhatsApp
just uninstall it then?
> Any company which cares about privacy
I don't think this phone or Commodore has anything to do with privacy beyond what's legally required. It's a lifestyle product.
The phone is running Sailfish OS.
by raffael_de - $120 max and I’m feeling generous. If it had an option to install a messenger of choice (Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp etc) then maybe $140-150.
The whole "people want their data and privacy and all" is becoming the next premium service and/or product and I don’t like that at all.
by mnls - I saw the "Get $50 off!" and thought "Oh cool, maybe I could get this for $150!" then checked the actual page and saw $499... absolutely not.
Also the whole store page just feels off. The weird mix of "beige" and furtiger-aero-esque imagery is confusing, and my gut hunch is that there's some AI images here. I understand they're trying to appeal to 2 different nostalgias, but it just doesn't mix. And for something allegedly releasing at the end of this month, there's a disappointing lack of images of actual devices.
The "founders edition" being gold plated just seems kinda tone deaf? There was recently a different controversial gold phone that I am immediately thinking about and I don't think that connection should really exist. $140 more for gold plating?
And their feature comparison down at the bottom has the Lightphone 3 with red X's for "swappable battery and back cover" and "blocks social media", which are definitely both features of the LP3? Unless you want to be pedantic and say that the LP3 doesn't block social media because you can modify it in an unauthorized way to allow installing Android apps, but I'd be willing to bet you'll be able to do the same with this Commodore phone) And they add an extra $40 to the MSRP to the other devices to account for the "value" of the headphones included with the commodore phone? And on that note, what's the line "*Earphones sold separately – price includes $40 headset comparable to Light Phone III & Callback" mean? Why's the LP3 in that line? It doesn't include headphones. (I'm just picking on this in particular because I own a LP3 and have direct experience with it)
- > If it had an option to install a messenger of choice (Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp etc)
It has that capability. From TFA: > A flip phone with the apps you need: WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram. Music, podcasts, maps, rideshare, a great camera for the moments worth keeping.
by pflenker - I am really happy someone is trying something new again. It isn't yet another iOS/Android clone, and I'm here for it!by jwr
- 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"
by st_goliath - For a while now I’ve been considering using a flip phone but I just can’t go without modern messaging apps because no one uses sms anymore. This seems like exactly what I wanted.by Gigachad
- I don't know about "fond" memories of a flip phone, but I grew up with a C64, and my first phone was a flip phone, so in terms of age group I don't think it's too far off.
I'm not looking to go back to a flip phone, though. I'd buy one as another fun thing for my display wall if it was cheaper, but it's a bit too expensive for that.
by vidarh - What do you mean? I'm Gen X but remember all those things. It seems like a reasonable mashup of nostalgia.by reedlaw
- > 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.
by bilekas - >> Who is it trying to appeal to?
To me. I want to have access to whatsapp/browser but with constraints of T9 so that I am not tempted to jump from website to website or write a lot.
And I want a phone that does not look like the most lazy thing a company could possibly do with 0 design effort put into it.
by risyachka - This is interesting to me for a few different reasons, but one of the bigger ones is that it appears to be a Sailfish device that’s readily available in the US, which to date has been oddly rare. As a dev, Sailfish has caught my eye a few times over the years but no US availability has meant I’ve never had the chance to play with it.
- They had different supported Xperia devices over the last decade...
- It seems that way, marketing page claims broad support incl. VoLTE which bodes well for US compatibility, however I noticed this in the FAQ:
Q: What network bands are supported?
A: Please see the Network Specifications section above this FAQ for supported bands and carrier compatibility.
But there is no "Network Specificiations" section on the page that I can find. It would be really nice to know which specific bands the modem supports.
by branon - 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])
by rickdeckard - > we ordered a Commodore-branded Sailfish-OS phone from an ODM
Is this true? I did some research on flip phones the other week and I didn't turn up anything running Sailfish. Options seemed limited to
* custom AOSP derivatives (Punkt, Sunbeam, Kyocera, others - most common)
* older KaiOS devices (Nokia 2780 and friends)
* Nokia S30+ devices (traditional proprietary feature-phone firmware, somehow Nokia is still producing these)
Are there any other examples of Sailfish phones being vendored similar to how Commodore is doing theirs?
by branon - 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.
by Gracana - Not only that, but this is exactly the kind of phone I get for my 12 yo. I love that it doesn’t even have a browser that I’d need to try to disable via ADB or some other hack. If it’s nicer than KaiOS, and compatible with the right networks, it could be a win for the parents and tweens.
Edit: then I saw the price. Holy crap, I’ll stick with a $25 Blu.
by jonhohle - 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.
by nkmnz - > I don’t think anyone saw that coming
Perifractic (the CEO of Commodore.net, and a prominent YouTuber) has made a few videos that describe his anti-smartphone stance. It's not that big of a surprise.
by gschizas - 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.by pimterry
- For me, Maps and pods.
If it looked like a RAZR, I'd buy one today
by towledev