this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2026
303 points (93.4% liked)

Technology

85539 readers
3667 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

A year has passed since Commodore, the computer brand many of you know and love, came back from the dead under new ownership. The comeback is picking up pace too, with a lineup that already includes multiple Commodore 64 Ultimate editions, a C64X PC, and a licensing program that invites outside builders to use the name. Now, they have announced a return to the phone market, and not in the doomscrolling glass-slab avatar we are all used to, but in a retro, very equippable flip phone format....

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] bagsy@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago

I was excited about this until i saw it was $500!! For a freaking flip phone.

[–] Summzashi@lemmy.world 22 points 4 hours ago (1 children)
[–] SnoringEarthworm@sh.itjust.works 18 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

That's a bit far, isn't it?

Let's see what the article actually says...

Making Flip Phones Great Again
The Specs
Get Yours

This is an advertisement.

[–] nevyn@slrpnk.net 6 points 1 hour ago

"Great again" seems a very tone deaf way of advertising... unless you are trying to advertise against the product, or advertise to inbreds

[–] Summzashi@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

They probably think their audience is here and they've been spamming this place so much, it's insane.

[–] other_cat@piefed.zip 3 points 2 hours ago

I have itsfoss in my RSS feed mostly to keep an eye on the FOSS community news in general, but will agree most of their articles seem to lean quite heavily into soft endorsing certain brands.

[–] Cryxtalix@programming.dev 11 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Using Sailfish OS is just trading Android for another proprietary OS. Why even bother going to all that effort and still end up back in the same place?

We have real mobile linux distros like postmarket OS and actual open source desktop environments like Phosh or plasma/gnome mobile.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 13 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

A headphone jack with an audiophile-grade DAC? 🥵

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Commodore fan here, but srsly, the flip design has so much more failable mechanics than a simple rectangular slab. Will anybody buy it except for the nostalgia? I expect that will soon wear off when they realize how much they miss a bigger screen.

[–] los0220@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

I had a flip phone once. I kicked it due to being angry that I don't have a smartphone and it split in two. I was 12 maybe

Funny enough I could still recieve calls on the bottom half.

[–] supernight52@lemmy.world 136 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Not only are the phones extremely overpriced for what they are- the images they are using for advertising are AI images, and not real pictures. Also using "Make blank great again" format for their tagline is another scoop of excrement on the shit sundae.

[–] CosmoNova@lemmy.world 34 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (2 children)

I had a bad feeling about the whole C64 brand when it got overhauled recently. It had vaporware startup written all over it. Guess my gut feeling was on point once again.

[–] ripcord@lemmy.world 2 points 38 minutes ago

The C64U that they make and that my wife bought me is one of the greatest things I have ever owned.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 12 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

It had vaporware startup written all over it.

It can't be "vaporware" when they are actually releasing products for purchase.

[–] Gormadt@slrpnk.net 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

But they haven't released yet, they've been announced and given no firm release date.

[–] BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk 4 points 2 hours ago

They haven't released this product, but as far as I'm aware they are shipping C64s.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 23 points 8 hours ago (1 children)
[–] one_knight_scripting@lemmy.world 13 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

...So is sailfish... But ultimately I think the reason they went with it is that it is much more secure than an android phone as it ensure your privacy is respected. You can still run android applications, but you don't have to worry about Google apps spying on your activity. Similar to Graphene OS where you can actually manage the permissions of Google apps rather than allowing it to have unfettered access to everything. Or heck, you don't even need to install any Google application to be able to use either Graphene or Sailfish. To me, they are just better ecosystems. And heck, sailfish isn't the only one. There is also postmarket os, Mobian, Manjaro ARM, Arch ARM, Ubuntu Touch, PureOS, and many more.

[–] coolmojo@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I wouldn't say that shipping the phone with WhatsApp preinstalled is privacy respecting.

[–] one_knight_scripting@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

I'm sorry, did I miss something? The commodore phone doesn't have social media applications.

Edit: Yes I did miss something. True it comes with Whatsapp running in an emulator in an LXC container. https://factually.co/fact-checks/electronics-tech/android-app-compatibility-on-sailfish-os-real-tests-a787aa

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] gnufuu@lemmy.ca 47 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (18 children)

From their FAQ:

Can I install my own apps?

Web browsers and social media apps are blocked at the system level. Email and work apps are not offered through the Commostore app store, keeping Callback focused on life outside work and feeds.

Users are still be able to sideload apps outside those that are blocked, using APK installer files, but Callback is designed first and foremost as a calmer, more intentional phone.

So I can receive an Email but if it has a link to a website I can't click it? That's just silly, Commodore. You're doing a fine job being memeable and appealing to our nostalgia. Trying to "protect us from ourselves" like that kinda destroys that vibe. And no, the inevitable custom ROM circumventing your blocks won't make up for it.

[–] Wispy2891@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago

Web browsers are blocked at the system level

Did they ever try to use a browser on a 2" clamshell at 480*640 with a T9 keypad??? It's so painful that it's already for emergency use only, don't need to protect me from myself...

load more comments (17 replies)
[–] Tim_Bisley@piefed.social 60 points 11 hours ago (11 children)

This phone should cost $150 max. What's with dumb phones charging smart phone levels of money?

[–] CubitOom@infosec.pub 39 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I agree it's too much money. But for the record it's not a dumb phone, it is a smartphone running sailfish which can run android apps in a sandbox

However for less money, the Sony Xperia 10 III with Sailfish OS (Xperia 10 mk3) is a better buy.

[–] Foreigner@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

I think I just found my next phone. Do you have any experience with the phone?

[–] CubitOom@infosec.pub 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

I own one but I haven't put a sim card in it to test the actuall phone aspect yet.

My initial criticisms are:

  • because each app is in its own jail, there is no way yet to set a global DNS setting like one can do on android
  • there is no native mullvad VPN app
  • all android apps are in the same sandbox, there is no out of the box way to have an android app isolated from others
  • there is no work profile
  • the gesture based ui is weird and id rather have more navigation options.
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (10 replies)
[–] AverageEarthling@feddit.online 34 points 11 hours ago

for that price AND using the make whatever great again slogan? fuck all the way off.

[–] MalReynolds@slrpnk.net 22 points 10 hours ago (4 children)

Overpriced, stupid marketing, random proprietary crap, mildly interesting form factor, audio jack, microSD (but only 256GB, why?).

But more linux phones is more linux phones. I'll pass on it, but I don't hate it. You could probably just flash vanilla sailfish without much trouble.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›