CHINA'S top search engine Baidu yesterday offered a glimpse of its upcoming mobile operating system and launched a new mobile application platform, aimed at bolstering its presence in the increasingly competitive mobile web market.

The platform, named Baidu Yi, will enable third-party application developers to create apps such as games, maps and other tools that they can distribute in a similar way to Apple Inc's App Store. Baidu Yi is modeled on Google's Android mobile operating system and will be rolled out to mobile devices in the future.

The company also launched its new homepage, which will add four features, including social networking functions.

However, Baidu Inc CEO Robin Li said the new homepage could have a negative impact on its revenue by requiring users to register a Baidu account, reducing traffic on the site.

The page, with more links and content, could also affect loading speed.

"We don't know how negative it will be," Li said in an interview with Internet portal SohuIT. "No matter how big the loss would be, this represents the future of the industry. If we don't do it, others might."

Baidu currently has about 200 million registered users, Li said.

Baidu has built on its dominance of China's search market significantly since Google's high-profile exit last year, and now has an more than 80 percent market share.
 

Source:shanghaidaily