"Many of you told us you wanted a more accessible entry point"

Announced a short time ago, the Callback 8020 is seen as a means of combating the addictive lure of the modern-day smartphone. While it supports Android apps via its SailfishOS, it disables features like web browsing and social media by default.

However, despite the noble quest for a ‘digital detox’, the phone met with a somewhat frosty reception online (no pun intended), with many comparing it to an elderly relative’s flip phone. In our poll, 70 percent of you said you wouldn’t be buying one.

    • adarza@piefed.caEnglish
      13·
      4 hours ago

      “Consumers can now choose whether to add Commodore’s custom-designed Hi-Def IEM earphones during checkout, rather than needing to pay for them when they may already own a pair they love. Premium memory will be available as an option, with Callback defaulting to rigorously stress-tested “post-consumer” high-speed memory chips, backed by Commodore’s identical, comprehensive 1-Year warranty.”

      so… to lower the retail by $100… earbuds not included, and reclaimed ewaste memory chips (hopefully that does not also include the main storage) now the default configuration.

      • lyralycan@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        2 hours ago

        Phones cheaper than USD$400 tend to have 6-8year old chipsets, so imo if they’ve beaten that, they’ve probably done well against the current market. By my standards a posture dumbphone should be cheaper, but it’s obviously marketing to a different demographic than e.g. Oneplus Nord and the now-dead iPhone SE. At the very least it might be a cool museum piece

          • XLE@piefed.socialEnglish
            13·
            4 hours ago

            Amusingly, Commodore’s statement says the [high prices were] triggered by an “explosion of new technologies” but stops short of specifying exactly what those technologies were. That perhaps shouldn’t be surprising given Simpson’s love of GenAI and its use in Commodore’s promotional material thus far, but it’s somewhat ironic that one of the reasons for the high price is, in Commodore’s case, self-inflicted to a degree.)

            I’m starting to dislike this CEO

            • urushitan 漆たん@kakera.kintsugi.moeEnglish
              4·
              2 hours ago

              The other big question, even though Simpson goes into some detail on this, is how the deal is going to be financed. A share purchase agreement is in place for those “low seven figures,” Simpson says he’s re-mortgaged to get this far, and adds that “household names who don’t want to be named” are interested before name-dropping Elon Musk (whose computing career began on a Commodore). They’re looking for angel investors, but there’s no indication of the timeframe on any deal.

              So it’s basically owned by musk, got it

              • XLE@piefed.socialEnglish
                1·
                2 hours ago

                He wouldn’t be the first person begging Elon Musk for attention, though. Anybody remember Elon Goat Token?

                Even if he doesn’t secure Elon as an investor, the simping does not look good.