Baidu’s Smart Speaker Unit to Launch a Phone Next Week

(Bloomberg) — 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 company’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 U.S. 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.