The world gets its first Buddha phone (and it's no joke)

Serkan Toto

Dr. Serkan Toto is an independent consultant and advisor focusing on Japan’s web, mobile and social gaming industries. Based in Tokyo, he works together with financial institutions and startups worldwide. Serkan has been the Japan contributor for TechCrunch.com since 2008. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. → Learn More

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

buddha_phone

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).

buddha_button_phone

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.

buddha_phone_front

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]

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