If, for some odd reasons, you have always dreamed of having a Vista Pocket PC, your dream can now finally come true, thanks to a new mobile device named O2 XDA Vista. At first, when I stumbled upon this device, I thought that maybe O2, the well-known global mobile operator, made a fabulous deal with Microsoft in
order to use the Vista branding on a new Pocket PC from its XDA line-up.

Well, no, O2 hasn’t made any Vista deal, nor did Microsoft license the use of its latest OS (or of its name) for any mobile device on the market. The mystery behind the handset called O2 XDA Vista can be found in China, where the Pocket PC was made and where, according to IT168, it will be on sale, for retail prices of around 3,500 yuan - the equivalent of $510 or 325 Euros.

To make it clear, O2 XDA Vista has nothing to do with either the real O2 or with the real Vista. It’s just another copycat device, but one that has the “merit” of cloning and ripping off quite a lot of handsets and brands.

When closed and seen from the front, the O2 XDA Vista looks like a Nokia handset, as its navigation keys are made in such a way that they resemble the ones of an Eseries smarpthone (E90, for example). When seen from the back, the XDA Vista unveils a 3 Megapixel camera as well as the logos of O2 and Windows Vista – both put there without the consent of their true owners.

When open, the O2 XDA Vista unveils a full QWERTY keyboard, bringing in mind several HTC devices as well as the Toshiba G900. The display packed by O2 XDA Vista is a 480 x 800 pixels touchscreen one, à la Sony Ericsson Xperia X1.

What’s funny is that, although it bears the Vista name and logo, this new Chinese Pocket PC doesn’t even run on the latest Windows Mobile 6.1, but only on the 6.0 version.

The rest of the features packed in the XDA wannabe apparently include: GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G connectivity, mobile TV capabilities, Music player and an Intel XScale 520 MHz Processor.

What’s left to say is that the company that made the so-called O2 XDA Vista should seriously think not to release it on the market, as there are at least three giants that can easily accuse it of ripping off their work – O2, Microsoft and Nokia.

Your future phone will do the following, some of these features are available now, but your future phone is definitely going to perform all these features. What a gadget!

Wireless Charging

Tired of negotiating a tangle of wires to charge your cell? Boulder, Colo.-based Wildcharge makes a flat panel built to charge phones resting on its surface. Currently, phones need a special adapter to connect the plate’s charge with their battery, but Wildcharge hopes to integrate its technology directly into cellphones in the coming year. Another company, Pittsburgh-based Powercast, is working on an even more impressive feature: Using the small amount of energy transmitted in radio waves, it hopes to charge a phone placed near its devices without even making contact.

Alternative Energy

Another way to take the pain out of charging your phone: tapping into natural energy sources to extend the power of your handset. Phone makers including Motorola and Nokia are researching ways to use solar power, fuel cells and kinetic energy. Batteries aren’t going away anytime soon, says Motorola’s Jerry Hallmark. But alternative energy is a practical way to provide an “instant refuel” to your phone through a built-in application or a plug-in accessory.

4G Networks

To power all these advanced features, phones will rely on speedy 4G networks, which will roll out across the world over the next few years. Whether based on technology called WiMax or LTE, these 4G networks will enable faster Web browsing, more reliable streaming video and, possibly, lower connection costs for consumers.

Touch-Free Motion Sensing

For your phone to be a “magic wand,” it needs to be able to detect motion. A handful of current phones from the iPhone to Sony Ericsson and Nokia models already do this. So do phones powered by “shake, rock and roll” technology from a California firm called GestureTek. In the future, motion sensing won’t even require you to touch your phone. Simply make the motions in the air; your phone’s camera will read your commands. The best part? No fingerprints to wipe off later.