Commodore is back
Commodore’s name is alive again, on this Android phablet.
Pretty soon you'll be able to buy a Commodore smartphone. Wired reports that the famed 1980s brand is being resurrected once more by two Italian entrepreneurs who claim they've acquired rights to the Commodore name in many countries across the globe. (Commodore's trademark has been passed around over the years after the original company went out of business in 1994.) So while there's no direct connection with the famed 8-bit home computer, Massimo Canigiani and Carlo Scattolini have designed the new Commodore PET with a gaming focus in mind. The Android 5.0 Lollipop handset will ship with two emulators built in (VICE C64 and Uae4All2-SDL Amiga, per Wired).
Aside from its bundled software, the Commodore isn't too unlike the variety of midrange, unlocked Android phablets you can buy today. It also looks like a generic smartphone, with little about the design jumping out other than the Commodore branding and logo. The PET runs a 64-bit 1.7 GHz octa-core processor from Mediatek, has a 13-megapixel f/2.0 camera (with dedicated shutter button), and houses a decently-sized 3000 mAh battery. Up front is a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display, and around back is a polycarbonate rear shell which you'll be able to swap for other colors.
A 16GB "light" variant with 2GB of RAM will sell for $300 unlocked, and you'll be able to bump up both of those specs with a more premium $365 model that includes 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM. Both include a 32GB microSD card in the box, so your choice really comes down to memory. Will the Commodore PET regularly receive updates and keep up with the latest version of Android? Considering the small scope of this project, you're probably taking a gamble on the software support side.
