The Commodore Callback 8020 flip phone looks like it’s from decades ago but its price was definitely a sign of today’s times. That’s changed, with Commodore’s announcement today that it will drop the price $100 for most models before pre-orders start next week.
The phone caused a stir when it was announced a week ago. First, there was the thrill of 80s computing legend Commodore making a phone. Then the phone being retro in both look and function caught attention, with a flip-phone form factor combined with a focus on privacy. But one of the most unique features of the Callback 8020 is that it runs Android apps on Linux-based Sailfish OS instead of Android. Among all of the praise though, was criticism that a $500 starting price for the basic models was too high.
…
Yeah keep going shitdicks. I’m not paying $400 for a deliberately featureless clam phone
I agree, it makes any difference that it’s 100 low for an almost dump phone.
I want a full-size keyboard that slides out. No more T9 bullshit.
Their aggressiveness in enticing for preorders is giving me the ick at this point.
Blocking browsers is exactly the opposite of what I want. I want a phone that’s only a browser. For me, using a browser on a mobile device is enough friction that it discourages me from using it for the stuff I intentionally uninstalled, like social media.
Give me a phone with a phone app, SMS/RCS app, RSS app, and camera app and nothing else, and I’d be perfectly content.
Remember when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone and that’s exactly what it was: beyond a handful of essential built-in tools, the only way to develop for it was web apps using the desktop-class browser engine?
Then they were like, haha, fuck you, you can only develop our apps for our phone using our PCs and you’ll pay for the privilege at every step? Yeah, fuck Steve Jobs. Fuck Apple.
Android also started out looking like the ideal “PC in your pocket” phone. It was open source, used the Linux kernel, had full slide out keyboards, etc. Both of them started out at nicer extremes and then slide into enshittification.
We’re pretty sure you can just get a normal dumb phone for that maybe, if not then this phone and reinstal the sail fish and only install a browser
Really interesting, the blocking apps is mindful but I’d prefer if I could bypass it explicitly. For instance I extensively use discord for messaging, and I’d need to have it. No rcs is also annoying but I’d make do with signal.
This is comical.
Commodore said that three factors were the primary cause of what consumers felt was a high price for the phone. At the top of the list is the one plaguing the entire industry: RAM pricing.
How much RAM could a phone like this use, anyway?
Also, saying that they “listened” is bullshit. They just got worried they were priced too high so it wouldn’t sell. So they lowered it. If they listened they wouldn’t have it locked in with WhatsApp, a Meta/Facebook product as the only IM option other than SMS.
The cynic in me is thinking this was an intentional marketing ploy.
- Price too high
- Outlets, outraged by the price talk about the features of the phone in detail, questioning how can this hardware cost cost so much
- Lower the price to your original (but secret) intent.
- Outlets now talk about how much more reasonable that is, how nice of the company to listen!
You get 2 rounds of media attention for the price of one.
Their info page says 4GB+64GB…so I assume that might be 4GB RAM and 64 internal storagr
Commodore is dead. Was dead for some 50+ years. If you want to revitalize said brand, you don’t ride it like a horse (that is dead) but make something of value. Android flipphone with preinstalled meta software that blocks you from installing and using other apps is just crude.
Commodore has been dead multiple times and been bought and “came back”. Though I must say, the first death wasn’t 50+ years ago, they were essentially in their peak around 40 years ago, which was around 4-5 years before they completely crashed and burned.
tbf it’s a linux flipphone, but yeah it seems like a kinda weird second product after their commodore remake.
For a phone that is toted as being privacy respecting, its fucked they are preinstalling software from one of the worst privacy invading companies on the planet.
Disappointing
Yet extremely understandable. On the global market, a phone without WhatsApp is basically a phone that cannot text people. For example, in Germany or Spain, 90% of internet users also use WhatsApp.
It would be like trying to sell a streaming box/tv and deciding that because Google is evil it doesn’t support YouTube.
It really upsets me that block web browser apps… WTF.
So not we have to get apps that get all types of information from the device instead. Huge NO for me.
$500-$100=$400.00… that’s still $300 too much.
Ya I’d maybe pay $200. As someone else mentioned, you could use it to augment your current setup by having a phone to take out with you so people can still reach you on this thing to reduce the burden of all the regular smartphone stuff
deleted by creator
I think the problem is that they grossly over estimated how many people actually wanted to buy a “legit” Commodore branded Commodore Ultimate when they came up with the idea to buy the Commodore brand.
Now they are trying to come up with ways to make it profitable but they don’t really seem to understand Product Market Fit.
I think it would be a better idea to do some high quality branded merch.
AFAIK they’ve already fully paid off the commodore IP acquisition from C64 ultimate sales, but as you say, that cannot sustain them forever.
The phone is pretty much entirely just the CEO’s personal opinion of what a phone should be, which he’s been making videos about from before the acquisition, and they appear to have done almost zero market research what the customers would want and be willing to pay…
Yes, I think part of the trick is that the CEO is a great video producer and has a large fanbase for his yt channel who are very enthusiastic about his ideas even if they won’t actually buy such a phone.
The CEO of Commodore appears to be completely out of touch on people’s perception of AI use, as they’ve been using it a fair amount in videos and the advertising for this phone (AI music and AI video generation) since buying Commodore, and poorly justifying it in the comments of their videos with links to their FAQ.
I don’t get it. You literally have the choice of any dumb-phone out there, why buy a new one?
Point me towards a dumb phone that can run Signal properly and I’ll cancel my 8020 order right now.
(yes, it’s still a bit of a guess whether the 8020 can actually run it properly, but that’s what they’re promising right now anyway)
Thanks! Interesting, I hadn’t heard of that one.
I wasn’t able to find if the tt970 (or the newer t990) provably can run Signal, but seems like it’s an Android 14 so I guess it should.
Do you have one?
Yes - I have the rebranded Aussie version
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/opel-mobile-touchflip-4g-flip-phone-optouchfp
It runs Android 8.1 and had no issue running Molly the last time I tried it. I really like that little nugget - let me know if you want a list of apps or launchers for it. Note: you’ll have to use Fdroid, Droidify, Aurora store or direct apks, as it doesn’t meet play store compliance.
If the TT990 is android 14, then it should work even better.
I can also confirm that my Duoqin F21 runs either just fine, but that’s cheating
Back to the TT970; the keyboard is fantastic (download the true TT9 app) and it even runs futo voice (albeit a touch slowly). If you get one, try to get the 1750mah battery - it helps.
Standby is just bang on 2 days for me.
Oh, the TTFone OS core is a proprietary fork of AOSP, and developed in China. That is probably a nope for me.
But I appreciate for letting me know of it. Might be good for the kids in the near future.
Huh. Thought it was stock standard AOSP - perhaps the Aussie version is different? There are a few rebranded versions of the same hardware; you might be able to find something non proprietary. I think the underlying model is UNIWA if you want to go spelunk direct listings
https://opelmobile.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/OM-TouchFlip-A4.pdf
Where did you find the info that the TTFone uses a fork - XDA? Possibly it can take CFW?
In any case, if it’s no go, it’s no go.
PS: The other target might be a the Cat 22 flip but that thing has a face only a mother could love. I have seen clean CFW of the Duoquin models too - multiple threads on XDA - but that’s candybar not flip
PPS: let me spelunk the 8020 for a minute. I have to imagine it’s an off the shelf re-badge. EDIT: Hmm…looks like it’s bespoke enough to NOT be a simple Shenzhen rebadge job.
Where did you find the info that the TTFone uses a fork - XDA? Possibly it can take CFW?
It’s a de-googled Android hence AOSP and the source code is nowhere to be found, as far as I can tell. That said, I don’t really know where they wrote the device-specific changes, just guessed.
As for the 8020, it’s obviously an unproven product at this stage so picking that at this stage is pretty much a gamble.
Many places are phasing out 3G and even 2G networks which would make the vast majority of pre-smartphone phones unusable. Also, proprietary (but technically replaceable) batteries which don’t hold quite the charge they did 15+ years ago.
There exist new dumbphones, poor reply.
The person I replied to specifically asked “why buy a new one?”.
I believe they meant what’s the point of yet another dumbphone model, not new vs. used. But let’s say they did, it’s not like dumbphones stopped being manufactured in 2007. There’s plenty of newer used models (as recent as you want, including this year) that invalidate your weird statements.
I took their question as “new vs used”, and replied based on that. There are plenty of functional phones out there that you could use if the network still (emphasis on still) supports them, so I don’t think it’s weird to assume that someone might think “why should I buy a new feature phone instead of using my Sony Ericsson from 2000-something?”.
There’s plenty of newer used models (as recent as you want, including this year) that invalidate your weird statements.
I’ll agree that you don’t have to buy a brand new one to get modern network support, but I also don’t think there’s really much of a used market for them. In the smartphone era, they’re such a niche product that I doubt that there are many people who bought them and are now trying to sell them. I know I would rather keep it in a drawer than go through the hassle of selling it for a price a buyer would consider fair.
It is weird to assume that. I can buy a dumbphone at most retailers, still. And certainly have enough options online. They specifically mentioned “buying any dumbphone out there”. Your own assumption of what you would do aside, do you think that’s what the market would offer, mainly 2000s Sony Ericssons?
This also ties in to your struggling second assumption/flex tape seal attempt. Ebay is not an obscure site.
Alright, I’m not gonna get dragged into a game of “win the argument”, have a good one.
The phone caused a stir when it was announced a week ago. First, there was the thrill of 80s computing legend Commodore making a phone.
garbage “journalism”. the writer should have really known the company has nothing to do with the original Commodore, other than buying rights to use the name.
