The iconic Commodore brand has been brought back to life, with the announcement of a new Android smartphone bearing the 80s computing firm’s iconic logo.
The Commodore PET, which will hit Europe this week according to a Wired report, will ship with two built-in gaming emulators that will allow users to play classic C64 and Amiga titles on a 5.5in touchscreen.
The surprise announcement comes courtesy of two Italian entrepreneurs, who now own the trademark to the company that went out of business more than 20 years ago. As such, Massimo Canigiani and Carlo Scattolini’s device has zero connection to the original company beyond the logo.
The handset will go on sale in Italy, France, Germany and Poland at first, with launches in the US and UK planned shortly thereafter.
Judging by the spec sheet, the new Commodore PET will be a very capable mid-range Android handset. The aluminium frame bearing the Commodore logo will be fronted by a 5.5in 1080p display and a Gorilla Glass 3 covering.
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Under the hood, it will be powered by a 1.7GHz 64-bit octa-core MediaTek processor. an ARM Mali T760 GPU, 2GB (or 3GB) RAM and a 3,000maAh battery.
There’s a 13-megapixel Sony sensor on the rear, which can also shoot 1080p videos, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
Prices for the new Commodore PET will start at around $300 (about £190) for the 16GB version, according to the report (via The Verge), and it will be available in white, black and “classic biscuit-beige” colours.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.