Callback flip phone gets a critical look from Nebbed, covering price, brand direction, AI marketing, and fan reaction after reveal.

Shane took community questions straight to Commodore. Callback 8020 Answered reveals a phone built on restraint — here's what's real.

The Commodore Callback 8020 might be one of the strangest phones of the year so far. The company now calling itself Commodore is leaning into the nostalgia of its name with a handset designed to look like a 20-year old flip phone. But while it has a small screen on top and number pad on the button, it is a modern smartphone that runs the Linux-based Sailfish OS and supports many Android apps... just not web browsers or social media apps, both of which "are blocked at the system level" in order to make this a device that's…

The Commodore Callback 8020 is a new phone that's up for pre-order for $500 and which is expected to ship before the end of 2026. But it looks like a flip-phone from the early 2000s, and that's intentional. Positioned as a distraction-free phone with a retro-inspired design that evokes Nokia handsets from the turn of the century, the phone also has some features inspired by classic Commodore computers and other devices (like calculators). It's clear that the new owner of the Commodore brand is looking to capitalize on the nostalgia factor.

Over the past few years Valve has helped make Linux a viable platform thanks to the Proton compatibility layer that lets you play many Windows games on Linux, and the SteamOS operating system that powers the Steam Deck handheld gaming PC and the Steam Machine mini PC that's launching this week. But you don't need to buy Valve's hardware to use SteamOS. And soon it may be easier than ever to build your own gaming PC for use with Valve's gaming-focused Linux distro. Third-party operating systems like Bazzite have allowed you to install unofficial builds on non-Valve hardware for years.