If the name "Commodore" conjures up images of clicking keyboards, beige boxes, and blinking command lines rather than buttery smooth ballads, this one's for you. Yes, that mainstay of '80s home computing is back, this time as a mobile phone. The Commodore PET—which shares its name with the iconic all-in-one computer released in 1977—might not run Commodore BASIC, but it does feature a customised version of Android 5.0 Lollipop, a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display, and a pair of emulators for running old Commodore software.
OK, so the two Italian entrepreneurs behind the PET might be playing on nostalgia just a tad in order to sell a few smartphones, but at the very least it's powered by some respectable hardware. The PET sports an aluminium frame, complete with interchangeable polycarbonate covers, should the stock white appearance and Commodore logos not be quite to your taste (although, you might want to think about why you're buying a Commodore phone if that's the case).
The 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display sits behind a sturdy slab of Gorilla Glass 3, and is powered by a 1.7 GHz Mediatek 64-bit octa-core processor with ARM Mali T760 GPU, 3GB of RAM, and a large 3000mAh battery. There's a rear-facing camera complete with a 13-megapixel Sony sensor and bright f/2.0 aperture, while the front-facing 8-megapixel camera is equipped with an 80-degree wide-angle lens. The PET even supports dual-SIM 4G connectivity.
That's nothing the world hasn't seen done better in other smartphones before, though. What makes the PET special, according to its creators at least, is its custom version of Android. Yes, a custom version of Android is rarely something to get excited about, but at least with the PET it enables special versions of the VICE C64 emulator and the Uae4All2-SDL Amiga emulator.
Unfortunately, there's no word yet on exactly what's so special about these emulators, or if there'll be any pre-installed Commodore software to get started. Other custom functions include an implementation of Daydream—which lets you chose what information appears on the display during charging—and system gestures that let you interact with the phone by shaking it, flipping it, or waving at it.
Whether that's enough to sell a smartphone in a crowded market, Commodore branding or not, remains to be seen. After all, you can download Commodore emulators to pretty much any Android smartphone yourself and get in on the action without having to fork out for a new device. Given the trouble that the PET's creators have gone to in order to secure the Commodore trademark—which languished in obscurity after being handed over to a Dutch company two years ago—hopefully the final devices will sport more than just a logo and pair of emulators.
If you're still interested, the PET will be available in Italy, France, Poland and Germany later in July for around $300 (£191), which buys 16GB of storage with an included 32GB micro SD card. A 32GB version will sell for around $60 (£38) more. Oddly, despite launching in Europe, there's no official Euro price just yet, and no official launch date for the UK either.
Users can choose white, black, or classic beige colours, with green and blue arriving later. The phone's creators have promised to bring the PET to other parts of Europe, as well as America at a later date.
If you're not sure what all the fuss about—i.e. you were born in the '90s—check out Ars' history of the Amiga, which includes the tale of how Commodore bailed out the ailing company in '80s, and how the deal quickly turned sour. And if that's enough, we also took a look at some of our favourite Commodore 64 software on its 30th Anniversary back in 2012.
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