Commodore PET Android Phone

Commodore PET Android Phone

With its PET Android phone, Commodore is bringing back the 1980’s. The smartphone has a few standout features and is even equipped with an emulator for C-64 and Amiga games, one of the most popular first computer games. The Commodore PET, a Google Android handset, starts at $300. To us, this price seems to be very reasonable for it’s basic model. It runs Android 5.0 on a 1.7 GHz Mediatek 64-bit octa-core chip with 2 GB of memory, 16 GB of storage and a 5.5.-inch 1080 IPS display. The higher priced model costs about $65 more, but bumps the storage up to 32 GB and includes 3 GB of memory. However, both handsets use a 13-megapixel camera sensor from Sony with a bright f/2.0 aperture. The front camera is an 8-megapixel rig with an 80-degree wide angle lens. Both have a 3000 mAh battery, a built-in FM radio, and a dual-SIM 4G connectivity, which means that it supports two SIM cards. The most exciting and original feature, is that it will run apps and games originally designed for Commodore C-64 and Amiga computers.

The Commodore PET Android uses the common design of an aluminum frame and interchangeable covers.

Commodore, which was founded in 1954 in Toronto, Canada, used to be a leader in personal computers with its Commodore 64 desktops. According to Guinness, Commodore was the single biggest-selling computer ever, quoting that the company sold as many as 17 million desktops. Despite it’s success, the company folded in 1994 and has seen several changes of trademark ownership since then. In 2013, a court ruled that the trademark belonged to Commodore Holding B.V. Today however, the trademark is reappearing on a new smartphone called the PET Android. The question is, how can a company that declared bankrupt two decades ago, release a new product? In March 2015, Massimo Canigiani and Carlo Scattolini registered Commodore Business Machines Limited in the UK and announced that they had acquired the rights for the brand as well as trademark in the mobile industry of about 38 countries.

The new Commodore PET smartphone is an interesting device and it proves that technological nostalgia is a nice thing!