The Commodore Callback 8020 phone

I’ll admit, I’ve felt a little trepidation approaching this new device, despite it ostensibly ticking all my boxes. It has retro styling. It’s taking a stand against the smartphones and social media platforms with which I’ve increasingly harboured resentment and frustration. It’s Commodore, damn it! And yet, look beyond the press releases, news articles, and wire services, and most technical people in my RSS aggregator seem… confused by it. Why would I want a phone that limits what I can install? Why is it so expensive? What’s the point? I’m honestly a bit surprised. What is it about this that has people in a dither (limited colour palettes aside)? Well today I’m finally going to tackle it here, and answer the question about whether I’m going to save for one. The new Commodore If you’d told me Commodore were releasing a new phone in 1984, I would have been shocked at your clairvoyant ability to talk with the unborn. But if I were alive during the golden age of 8-bit computing, I’d…