Baidu’s smart speaker unit to launch a phone next week

The introduction of a handset under the Baidu umbrella would mark the first major Chinese entrant in the congested mobile market in years – and the first from among the country’s Internet giants. — AFP

Baidu Inc is adding a phone to its portfolio of smart gadgets as it builds out a hardware ecosystem to complement its internet services.

The Beijing-based firm’s Xiaodu unit, similar to Amazon.com Inc’s Alexa division, will unveil its first smartphone product next week, a spokesperson said Monday. Much like Amazon and US search leader Google, Baidu has developed smart speakers and displays for the home. The Chinese company calls its DuerOS software for those devices a conversational artificial intelligence system.