You guys — something wild just dropped under a name we all know and love! The Commodore brand has been reborn after Peri Fractic (the Retro Recipes channel) bought the entire company and 100% of its original trademarks for seven figures in mid-2025, and they're already rolling out new hardware. After releasing the C64 Ultimate and a mini PC in a C64 chassis, Commodore just announced the CallBack 8020 — a flip phone styled after classic beige tech with some amazing retro flair. It taps right into the dumbphone trend but adds real utility while keeping things sane.
What makes this really special is how they've built anti-doomscroll technology directly into the system! The phone has internet for maps and QR codes, but social media and web browsers are blocked at the OS level via patent-pending whitelisting — a firm line drawn against apps that drive doomscrolling. Even if you find a clever way to sideload something like TikTok, they've added DNS blocking so you can't actually reach those servers; old school BBS forums are allowed but Reddit is not! They plan to spend the next few months consulting their community about which online services deserve access and which don't.
Under the hood, it runs Sailfish OS from Jolla — that Nokia spinoff founded in 2012 by former Nokia engineers - with a runtime layer that makes over 99% of Android apps compatible! So Spotify, Signal, and WhatsApp all work fine on this retro hardware, alongside a curated selection of Commodore 64-era games as an Easter egg. The CallBack is both modern enough to function in the present day and nostalgic enough to feel like a piece of history you can actually use every day. That's how you do a brand revival right!
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/commodores-newest-gadget-is-a-flip-phone-that-blocks-social-media-and-browsers
What makes this really special is how they've built anti-doomscroll technology directly into the system! The phone has internet for maps and QR codes, but social media and web browsers are blocked at the OS level via patent-pending whitelisting — a firm line drawn against apps that drive doomscrolling. Even if you find a clever way to sideload something like TikTok, they've added DNS blocking so you can't actually reach those servers; old school BBS forums are allowed but Reddit is not! They plan to spend the next few months consulting their community about which online services deserve access and which don't.
Under the hood, it runs Sailfish OS from Jolla — that Nokia spinoff founded in 2012 by former Nokia engineers - with a runtime layer that makes over 99% of Android apps compatible! So Spotify, Signal, and WhatsApp all work fine on this retro hardware, alongside a curated selection of Commodore 64-era games as an Easter egg. The CallBack is both modern enough to function in the present day and nostalgic enough to feel like a piece of history you can actually use every day. That's how you do a brand revival right!
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/commodores-newest-gadget-is-a-flip-phone-that-blocks-social-media-and-browsers