Dell and Baidu tie up for smartphones in China

Dell has confirmed it is one of a number of companies partnering with Baidu, China's top search engine, on mobile devices. A Dell spokesperson said the company was developing smartphones that would run Baidu's new software platform for the Chinese market. Baidu announced the platform, Baidu Yi, on Friday. Many Chinese internet companies are trying to increase their presence in the mobile market. "The partnership is to provide users with an out-of-box experience, so Baidu Yi will be installed," said Dell spokesperson Adeline Lee. Baidu Yi is Android-based, but Ms Lee did not say which operating system would be installed on the Dell smartphones. Baidu executives have not ruled out the possibility of releasing their own operating system at a later date. Baidu's announcement also said that it was working with a number of developers and handset makers as part of an alliance to support the Baidu Yi platform. Ms Lee would not give a date for the release of the Dell smartphones.