They\u2019re flipping off social media.<\/p>\n
Nostalgic \u201980s tech firm Commodore is hoping to combat tech addiction by releasing a retro flip phone that banishes social media apps.<\/p>\n
Dubbed the Commodore Callback 8020, this vintage phone reboot is billed as a \u201cretreat from Black Mirror technology\u201d designed to \u201chelp you spend less time staring at a screen,\u201d per the blog.<\/a><\/p>\n This throwback perhaps marks a fitting release for a nostalgic company that kickstarted the personal computer revolution of the 1980s and released the Commodore 64 \u2014 the best-selling PC of all time.<\/a><\/p>\n The Callback comes in a variety of color schemes. Commodore<\/p>\n The Callback, which will be available later this year, facilitates digital detox by using \u201cpatent-pending technology\u201d to block web browsers and social media at the \u201csystem level.\u201d The catch is that the mobile methadone does offer internet connectivity, ostensibly offering the full functionality of a modern phone without the risk of screen addiction. <\/p>\n That being said, the Linux-based Sailfish OS operating system allows this Spartan device to be compatible with over \u201c99 percent of Android Apps,\u201d including WhatsApp, Maps and Spotify.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t get any ideas about importing blacklisted apps. While Callback users are allowed to sideload platforms not available at the firm\u2019s \u201cCommostore,\u201d the company draws the line at ones that require doomscrolling, Ars Technica<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n The Callback features a Spartan clamshell design that harks back to the flip phones released at the turn of the Millennium. Commodore<\/p>\n On the off-chance that someone does get TikTok or another verboten service installed, they won\u2019t be able to use it, as Commodore has blocked it at the DNS level.<\/p>\n Completing this retro effect is a minimalist clamshell design that harks back to the Nokia flip phones from the turn of the millennium. Total price: between $500 and $640, depending on the colorway.<\/p>\n Users had mixed feelings about paying an exorbitant amount for a flip phone. Commodore<\/p>\n Viewers had mixed feelings about the somewhat Mennonite device. \u201cCommodore 64 flip phone? Take my money,\u201d gushed one fan<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, others felt that the nostalgia was not worth the squeeze. <\/p>\n \u201cYou had me at flip phone that blocks social media,\u201d snarked one critic.<\/a> \u201cYou lost me at $499.\u201d<\/p>\n Another wrote<\/a>, \u201cHugely disappointed after all the buildup to discover the new Commodore product is a $500 flip-phone that looks like something from AliExpress for $50\u201d<\/p>\n