Encounter with the "Buddha phone"

Damian Koh | Apr 23, 2008

Earlier when we saw pictures of the Buddha phone, we didn't actually think we'd see it for real. So when one of my colleagues said he saw the phone at Sim Lim Square (for the uninitiated, Sim Lim Square is where bargain hunters in Singapore go to buy gadgets and IT stuff), I knew I had to make a trip down to see it with my own eyes.

Unlike the Lillian Too Lucky Dragon phone which erupted in a cacophony of laughter in the office when we first clapped eyes on it, my impression of the Buddha phone was a lot more subdued. Maybe because the shopowner got a little suspicious of my close scrutiny of the phone and the rain of questions that ensued. I swear he had me in the corner of his eye even while attending to other customers.

Seriously, if you can put up with its hideous keypad design and tacky 24k-gold plating, you can put up with anything, like a Cobra Vertu. Thanks, but no thanks. We'll stick with the Lillian Too Lucky Dragon phone since this poor journo would rather get lucky than achieve enlightenment.

Your friendly shopowner did reveal that there are only 999 pieces of the Shenzhen-manufactured Buddha phone worldwide. Auspicious number aside (9 stands for longevity), that's perhaps excellent foresight on the maker's part because anything more and it may have to deal with an inventory backlog. In this case, producing limited quantities may have the positive impact of driving up sales. When I enquired about the price, I was quoted S$380 and that's already a discount from the original S$400-plus. Given my experience dealing with such retailers, I could probably drive it down a couple more tens if I really wanted the phone.

Since I've made my intention clear that I wasn't going to buy the handset, the now-not-so-friendly chap was unwilling to show me the box packaging that came with the phone. No photos, too. He did, however, allow me to handle the handset for a bit, while I dropped random questions. The button tactility on the Buddha phone was actually pretty decent. The snappy response was, in fact, a surprise to me. There are two jade-like pieces on the handset: One is used as the directional control, the second is at the bottom of the numeric keypad to activate the Bluetooth connection. Elsewhere, the mini-USB port is found along the top edge of the phone and the microSD expansion card slot on the side.

In the hand, the Buddha phone felt more like a toy showpiece than an actual handset. Then again, for that kind of money, we can't expect a Sirocco, can we? For those who want instant Nirvana, the Buddha phone has you covered. Though for this scribe, the experience was anything but divine.

Picture credit: TVGame360

Filed under: Mobile Phones
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