A Commodore for the modern era
As I explained before, my roots in computing date back to the Commodore 64, which is generally recognized as the best selling PC of all time. Like many thirty-somethings and over, I cut my computing teeth on that system and get a sense of nostalgia any time I see the name Commodore. That's what the makers of the Commodore PET are banking on.
No, not the original Commodore PET, which predates the Commodore 64. The Commodore PET I'm talking about is an Android handset that a pair of Italian entrepreneurs strategically named after the decades old system.
This is an obvious play on the name, as the Commodore of today is the not the Commodore of yesteryear -- the brand went bankrupt long ago, while the company's assets and Commodore trademark has changed hands on more than one occasion. It's even made some comebacks as a nettop and other forms, though this is the first time I'm aware of that it's been attached to a smartphone.
The folks at Wired got in touch with the designers and extracted some info about the device. It will sport an aluminum frame and interchangeable polycarbonate covers, and of course the iconic logo will be splashed on the back.
Other features include a 5.5-inch IPS display with a 1920x1080 resolution, Gorilla Glass 3, 1.7GHz Mediatek 64-bit octa-core processor, ARM Mali T760 GPU, 8-megapixel front camera with an 80-degree wide angle lens, 13-megapixel rear shooter with a Sony sensor and bright f/2.0 aperture, 3,000 mAh battery, and dual SIM 4G connectivity.
What about storage and RAM? There will be two different models, one with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage that will sell for around $300, and another with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage for around $365. Both will also have a microSD card slot.
On the software side, the Commodore PET will run a custom version of Android 5.0 Lollipop with a pair of pre-installed emulators -- VICE C64 and Uae4All2-SDL Amiga. The designers are also working with software companies to bring back some 1980s games to include with the handset.
There's no shipping date yet, though you can sign up for notifications on the product's website.
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From maximumpc
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