Full phone? No thank you, its enough to look around how it ends up.
No way, and then add the pricetag... I do hope it fails just because I don't want people to think that the solution to today's walled gardens is "differently walled gardens".
That's what prevents most people on those countries from having a dumb phone, and forces even the most illiterate of 90yo great-grandmothers to learn how to navigate around Android or iOS, all the while placing uncountable many calls to their great-grandchildren because they opened up some random app by accident and don't remember how to get back to the only thing that matters: WhatsApp (talking from experience here).
A WhatsApp-capable quasi-dumb-phone would be a godsend for such places, provided it's cheap enough. At $500 this one definitely isn't, not when an ultra-cheap Android smartphone capable of running WhatsApp costs $90. But if this one sells well, cheaper ones may become viable down the line due to economies of scale. I surely hope that happens.
They operate the service to get your personal data into the hands of their customers (advertisers) so why would they support a dumb client that is designed to be incompatible with their business model
> Callback includes SMS, WhatsApp, [..]
> Callback includes Pure Maps, a popular Sailfish navigation app, and is compatible with several Android map, navigation, and transport apps, including Uber and Lyft.
If it looked like a RAZR, I'd buy one today
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"
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.
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.
I got my youngest child an AOSP flip phone. I'm semi happy with it. You can't install apps on it (so no Signal, but also no Subway Surfers). But on the other hand, it has a web browser, which is a big hole; the web browser is good enough to show postage-stamp-sized YouTube.
The Commodore flip phone would be kind of usable for me as long as it could run Duo Mobile; having Signal is a big plus. Not sure it's a $500 plus. Lacking RCS is a non-trivial minus but not a deal-breaker.
Absolutely, same here—but it has to look good. I know that's subjective, but this thing looks atrocious.
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.
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.
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.
Edit: just saw the price point. Nevermind, not going to spend more than 50 bucks on that.
Edit: then I saw the price. Holy crap, I’ll stick with a $25 Blu.
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.
2. It allowed for sharing multimedia better.
3. It closed the divide between Android and iOS, giving a singular experience across the two systems.
4. Prior to RCS, it allowed for typing notifications, high resolution media, read receipts, etc whereas SMS did not offer these options.
5. There really isn't any additional benefit for most of these now; but, folks are already ingrained into the ecosystem.
And the result is just penetration, so if you're somewhere it's widespread, odds are it's going to be the preference of a lot of people.
For me, SMS is for spammy notifications. WhatsApp is where all the messages from real people I have the phone number of comes. I never get real people SMS'ing me.
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.
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.
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)
-> $500
-> Corny nostalgia-bait
-> No web browser
-> No social media
-> System-level DNS blocking
For $500 (FIVE HUNDRED) you get a $30 dumb phone with Whatsapp. Wow.
In fact I’d believe this is exactly for social media addicts because needing to be blocked from even accessing the domains by your OS to not use them is truly something.
And it is nostalgia bait. Wide sweeping nostalgia bait (C64 and Y2K). Corny nostalgia bait because surfing on pre social media Internet and Y2K aesthetics has been an overdone low-hanging fruit for at least 2 years already.
My main problem is the price. This has barely any more capabilities than a burner AliExpress dumbphone. Their margin is most likely egregious (because you’re paying for nostalgia bait).
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.
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.
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])
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?
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.
~~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.
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.
_EDIT_
raffael_de is absolutely correct, apps can be installed and removed, as they have their own "app store". Apologies for creating confusion and thanks for pointing it out.
Can't really escape it
Maybe Commodore is paying Jolla enough that they'll be able to add group MMS support by the time this launches? But if not... it's something you might not even think could be missing, and not having it can be a problem if people expect to be able to send you group texts.
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.
And yes $500 is too much.
And these days a great camera isn't desirable anyway, if you go to a party now everyone is taking photos with keychain cameras like the kodak charmera or instant cameras like the fujifilm instax. These have atrocious image quality, but people like that more than modern processed iphone photos.
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.
The retro vibes I'm getting from this one though involve "the Fonz" getting up on waterskis…
Like "AEG" or "Grundig" or "Marantz" or "Nokia"...
I heard this quote in many American movies: "The first way to get rid of addiction is admitting to yourself that you have no power over the substance." or something in the same vain.
I admit I am powerless over doomscrolling. I just create a barrier to entry that never expires. Solves my problems. No alpha male self control BS. Just brain chemistry-aware tricks.
If I were involuntarily injected with serious drugs, my brain would crave it. Social media is the same. No point arguing otherwise.
I mean, yeah, it sends a visual statement and I'm sure some diehard Commodore fans will buy it, but it looks exactly like the kind of junk you'd have found for $10 in the Shenzhen knock off markets 15 years ago.
I'm not familiar with the OS on this phone, but it sounds interesting.
But $500? Really? DOA