Dell and Baidu launch new smartphone

After Baidu’s foray into the mobile OS, Dell have announced that they are partnering with Baidu in the launch of a new smartphone based on the latter's new OS. According to a report by PC World, a Dell spokeswoman has also confirmed the news that the two companies are developing a smartphone. However, both the companies have refused to divulge any more details.

Baidu and Dell partner to launch new smartphone

Baidu’s new platform, named Yi, is loosely based on Android’s open source mobile operating system. They have confirmed that they plan to launch their new smartphone with an international handset manufacturer, based on the Yi platform. After the Dell Streak, their new partnership with Baidu does seem like interesting news as Baidu currently dominates the Chinese market. Also, 80 percent of Chinese Android phones have the Baidu search engine on them.

More from News Analysis

Launch dates and pricing have not been disclosed as of now, by either company. Also, as BADA and RIM have realised, app support is extremely crucial for any operating system's success, so if Dell and Baidu do manage to conjure a cheap smartphone running on the latest specs with a powerful OS and third party application support, the competition in the smartphone segment will only get hotter.