Commodore Returns With an Android Phone   
      
       By Stephanie Mlot   
       July 15, 2015 09:38am EST   
      
   The Android-based PET allows users to play original C64 and Amiga games   
   on the handset.   
      
   Everything old is new again, including Commodore.   
      
   Developer of the well-known Commodore PCs in the 70s and 80s, the   
   company helped usher in the PC era before going bankrupt in 1994. Now   
   the company is teaming up with a pair of Italian entrepreneurs to try   
   its hand at smartphones.   
      
   After many years, and a number of trademark disputes, Massimo Canigiani   
   and Carlo Scattolini registered Commodore Business Machines Limited in   
   the U.K., where they developed the company's first smartphone.   
      
   Named after the 1977 Commodore PET, the Android-based PET phone comes   
   with two emulators, allowing nostalgic users to play original C64 and   
   Amiga games on their handset.   
      
   As reported by Wired, which got a hands-on look at the new Commodore   
   PET, the Android phone sports an aluminum frame and interchangeable   
   polycarbonate covers that snap onto the 5.5-inch IPS   
   1,920-by-1,080-pixel resolution display, made out of Gorilla Glass 3.   
      
   Squint hard enough, and you can read the handset's specs, published   
   online: 1.7GHz 64-bit octa-core processor, 3,000 mAh removable battery,   
   and dual-SIM 4G connectivity. The smartphone also comes with Wi-Fi,   
   Bluetooth, GPS, and FM radio.   
      
   Plus, the 13-megapixel rear camera can snap photos up to 4,096-by-2,304   
   pixels and high-def videos up to 1080p, while an 8-megapixel front   
   shooter comes with an 80-degree wide-angle lens, according to Wired.   
      
   But the phone's real draw is likely its nostalgia-inducing gameplay.   
   Running a custom version of Android 5.0 Lollipop, alongside the VICE C64   
   and Uae4All-SDL Amiga emulators, Commodore's PET aims to equip users   
   with some of the best 1980s games.   
      
   Expected to launch this week in Italy, France, Germany, and Poland, the   
   white, black, or "classic biscuit-beige" PET comes in two flavors: the   
   $300 light version with 16GB of storage and 2GB RAM, or the $365 regular   
   model with 32GB of memory and 3GB RAM. Both include a 32GB microSD card   
   slot, with support for up to 64GB.   
      
   Commodore plans to introduce its PET to more European countries and the   
   U.S. in the near future, Wired said,   
   ---   
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