For geeks who a) happen to believe in Buddha and b) are able of reading Chinese, this must be excellent news: Buddhists can now actually buy a Buddha cell phone in China. The device is not a joke product, but it actually works and makes kind of sense (if you are a Buddhist).

The phone, which is for some weird reason branded as “ODIN 99″ (of all names), features a Buddha activation button (OK, it’s just a lotus leaf) that you can push to bring a fully customizable altar on your screen (see the picture above). It’s also pre-loaded with Buddha-themed ring tones (chants), animations and background images.

The phone comes with a camera, two memory card slots and supports MP3 files. Buyers get two batteries (one of them is engraved with the word “gift” written in Chinese), a CD-R with various Buddhism-related content (which can then be transferred to the phone via memory card) and a protective plate for the screen.

Via CNET Japan [JP]