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Commodore Releases Flip Phone

commodore.net

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Re: Commodore Releases Flip Phone

#101

Post by erickhill »

pimterry wrote: post #17

Some scepticism here I see, but personally I think this is spot-on. I've been keen on a dumber phone for a while, but losing whatsapp & maps makes it a non-starter for any real use. This is an excellent middle ground. The aesthetic is cool, and building this on Sailfish but with Android compatibility is awesome. Big fan of the concept.

The skepticism isn't around the concept (for some) - it's the bonkers $500 price tag when you can go get a 5G military grade waterproof flip phone with a very robust removable battery and much more impressive tech/stats for $200.

Re: Commodore Releases Flip Phone

#102

Post by acupofnope »

erickhill wrote: post #101
pimterry wrote: post #17

Some scepticism here I see, but personally I think this is spot-on. I've been keen on a dumber phone for a while, but losing whatsapp & maps makes it a non-starter for any real use. This is an excellent middle ground. The aesthetic is cool, and building this on Sailfish but with Android compatibility is awesome. Big fan of the concept.

The skepticism isn't around the concept (for some) - it's the bonkers $500 price tag when you can go get a 5G military grade waterproof flip phone with a very robust removable battery and much more impressive tech/stats for $200.

I’d be interested in this military grade phone, where can one acquire it?

Re: Commodore Releases Flip Phone

#103

Post by erickhill »

acupofnope wrote: post #102
erickhill wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The skepticism isn't around the concept (for some) - it's the bonkers $500 price tag when you can go get a 5G military grade waterproof flip phone with a very robust removable battery and much more impressive tech/stats for $200.

I’d be interested in this military grade phone, where can one acquire it?

There are several phones that fit the description, but I was thinking specifically of the Sonim XP3plus 5G.

Re: Commodore Releases Flip Phone

#104

Post by thisislife2 »

Findecanor wrote: post #69
annagio_ wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what? you made choke.... Where I live, those kind of flip phones used to normal price €€ to 100something€ back then, how we ended at 500? I must ask if it's going to make coffee too haha.

Unlike many flip phones, there is smartphone hardware inside capable of running Android apps — except that it is only a curated selection from Commodore's own app store. The cost of running the app store is probably included. Smaller production runs also mean higher price. BTW, early adopters can get up to $100 off. (pre-order discount + discount code in the newsletter)

Smartphones are also available for $100 today! And it doesn't even have a "premium" look - not even a metallic body.

Re: Commodore Releases Flip Phone

#105

Post by thisislife2 »

erickhill wrote: post #101
pimterry wrote: post #17

Some scepticism here I see, but personally I think this is spot-on. I've been keen on a dumber phone for a while, but losing whatsapp & maps makes it a non-starter for any real use. This is an excellent middle ground. The aesthetic is cool, and building this on Sailfish but with Android compatibility is awesome. Big fan of the concept.

The skepticism isn't around the concept (for some) - it's the bonkers $500 price tag when you can go get a 5G military grade waterproof flip phone with a very robust removable battery and much more impressive tech/stats for $200.

Exactly. But clearly we - people who are cost conscious about getting their money's worth - aren't the target market for these "niche" devices. Which is sad, as there is a real market for a reasonably priced device like this that many would buy as a "second" phone (and maybe even make it their primary phone). Just look at all the Nokia / HMD kind-of "premium" "feature phones" (calling them "dumb phones" is silly) still sold for around $150 - $250. The only reason that they aren't as "popular" now is because the Symbian OS or KaiOS they use is lacking in many aspects. And HMD (and others) don't understanding the user needs (for example, selling such 4G phones that don't even have the ability to be a hotspot device).

Re: Commodore Releases Flip Phone

#106

Post by renaudg »

mingus88 wrote: post #99
alexgieg wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many countries don't use SMS, they use WhatsApp, for almost everything, from chatting with family and friends, to business contacts, to talking with your bank manager, to medical appointments, to 2FA, and even to transfer money. 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, al…

As long as Meta owns WhatsApp, don’t hold your breath. 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

WhatsApp messages are end to end encrypted.

It doesn't have the same business model as the rest of Meta (which by the way, is to get advertisers products in front of users eyeballs, optimized by their personal data. Not to hand said personal data over to advertisers or anybody else, which would be a bit dumb as it's Meta's crown jewels)

Re: Commodore Releases Flip Phone

#107

Post by Gigachad »

oneeyedpigeon wrote: post #16
bilekas wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A flip phone with the apps you need: WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram. Music, podcasts, maps 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.…

> Honestly, that sounds appealing to me at least. Absolutely, same here—but it has to look good. I know that's subjective, but this thing looks atrocious .

It's appealing to the y2k and fruitger aero aesthetic. All the people on the street right now in baggy camo pants with a bag full of tech like mp3 players and digicams would buy this thing up.

Re: Commodore Releases Flip Phone

#108

Post by Gigachad »

bigupthewhole wrote: post #40

What about the apps that we need but not everyone needs? Local train apps, bank identification etc. Can't really escape it

I can imagine most people who would use this would also own a regular phone. Personally I have a couple apps like this that I would be fine on a phone I leave at home while on the go I only need messaging, maps, and uber.

Re: Commodore Releases Flip Phone

#109

Post by Gigachad »

smallerfish wrote: post #58

I don't like the look of "retro camera". A great camera is a must-have also. And yes $500 is too much.

I disagree a great camera is a must have. This is targeting the person who wants single purpose tech rather than a do everything smartphone. If you need a camera on a trip, chuck one in your bag.

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.

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