Dell recently announced that it’s quitting Android – but that leaves China’s Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) facing the prospect of losing its most high-profile smartphone partner for its own mobile OS.

The Dell Streak Pro D43 (pictured) running Baidu’s cloud-oriented, Android-based mobile OS [1] launched almost exactly a year ago as Baidu’s first-ever smartphone vehicle. At the time we described it as a major partnership that marks the Chinese search engine giant’s biggest move into mobile. But today, a Baidu representative declined to comment on whether Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) is still a hardware partner in the light of the US gadget-maker’s recent announcement.

Baidu also cannot reveal sales figures for its Baidu Cloud OS phones, so it’s hard to see how crucial Dell is to its mobile strategy, where it’s expecting three times more revenue this year. But from sources in China’s smartphone industry we hear that the other two hardware partners for Baidu Cloud phones, China’s Changhong and TCL, are actually generating a lot more sales for their budget handsets, as opposed to the more premium-priced Dell Streak Pro D43. If true, it would seem that a global brand-name is not such a crucial factor in smartphone sales in the country.

Dell had been targeting China for its Android phones in 2011, but it seemed the traction was never there, with consumers who bought high-end Android devices instead opting for large-screen Samsung or Huawei smartphones instead. But all is not lost, as Dell is still China’s third-most loved PC maker.

As for Baidu, it still has other smartphone market options outside of its Baidu Cloud OS, as seen with the launch earlier this month of the newest Lenovo LePhone, which even features some clever voice unlocking tech pioneered by Baidu.

China’s biggest search engine, Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) is pushing forward its mobile OS even more with the launch today of a new phone carrying the Android-based system. Made by Chinese manufacturer TCL (HKG:1070; SHE:000100), which is perhaps best-known for its TV sets, it bears the very uninspiring name TCL S710. Thankfully the phone has more punch than its moniker as the TCL S710 marks the first time Baidu’s OS has been updated to Android 4.0, and is powered along by a 1GHz dual-core (unnamed) processor.

The TCL S710 running the Baidu Cloud OS. Click to enlarge.

A Baidu representative explained to us that the company has dropped the “Baidu Yi” name for its mobile software – in fact since its previous appearance on a budget smartphone back in May – and is instead calling it “Baidu Cloud.” Probably a good idea, since “Yi” was rather vague, and the cloud imagery alludes to its array of apps, all of which come pre-installed, such as Baidu Ting for music-streaming, or its new Dropbox-like cloud file storage service.

The TCL S710 is Baidu’s third phone. The first was made by Dell and launched in December of last year.

Baidu wouldn’t comment on the hardware itself, leaving the launch to TCL. But among other specs on the S710 is a 4.3-inch screen and an 8MP camera. It’s a WCDMA phone, so it’ll run only on China Unicom’s (NYSE:CHU; HKG:0762) 3G network for those who want data plans.

No price has yet been set, but it’ll have to be well below 2,000 RMB with such middling specs. One rival for the money of young smartphone converts is the popular Xiaomi phone, which gets a second-coming in stores in October when the quad-core Xiaomi Mi2 finally ships. That’ll cost only 1,999 RMB ($315).

[Photos: Enet - article in Chinese]

Screenshots have emerged (pictured above) of a purported new budget phone from Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU), China’s search engine giant. Rumors in the Chinese media suggest that it’ll be a cheap yet fully-formed smartphone, costing 1,000 RMB (US$159) or less, and the hardware will be made by Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn (LSE:HHPD; HKEX:2038; TPE:2354) – on which we reported last month.

Baidu already has its Android-based Baidu Yi OS that’s currently only for sale in a pricey Dell device – so that software would likely be adapted to fit into this budget smartphone. It’s a heavily reworked fork of Android that’s packed with Baidu products such as its Ting music service, Baidu Maps, and lots more. It would also likely feature the company’s new cloud storage platform. Indeed, the image on the right of the screenshot reveals these Baidu product icons on the phone’s homescreen.

As we already know there might be a Foxconn-Baidu tie-up going on, and the Yi OS itself is nothing new, the screenshots reveal only that the OS is being tweaked, and that a cloud-powered voice assistant – like Apple’s Siri – is being added by Baidu, perhaps replacing the more rigid say-a-command Google Voice Actions that appears in Android.

[Source: Techweb - article in Chinese]

Just our own quick photoshop of a Baidu-branded phone - not the real thing.

Rumors in the Chinese tech industry say that Chinese search engine Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) has been in secret talks with the manufacturer Foxconn (LSE:HHPD; HKEX:2038; TPE:2354), almost certainly discussing a mobile device.

If true, it would suggest that Foxconn – which makes gadgets for brands such as Apple, HP, Best Buy, etc – is being tagged to make a Baidu-branded device for its Android-based Baidu Yi platform. That was released last summer, and then last December Dell was revealed as Baidu’s first hardware partner and is currently the sole phone on sale that’s running the ‘Yi’ OS. Baidu envisions its mobile platform as a cloud-oriented showcase for its own mobile apps and services, and has said that it eventually plans for it to break free of Android and become, at a technical level, its own software.

The rumors claim that the Foxconn-Baidu smartphone would have a 3.5-inch screen and be geared towards younger buyers. In contrast, the Dell Streak Pro D43 that’s currently the flagship Baidu Yi phone is aimed more at business users, with understated looks, higher specs, and a larger price tag. It’s conceivable there could be two – or more – simultaneous devices running Yi, and so this wouldn’t affect the search engine’s partnership with Dell (NASDAQ:DELL).

As we know from past experience, Baidu doesn’t comment on rumors. We’ll update if we hear something solid regarding it and Foxconn.

Foxconn has a recent track record as a smartphone OEM, having made the Android-powered Journey A890 budget handset for the Indonesian manufacturer Nexian.

[Source: Techweb - article in Chinese]

2011 has been a big year for Android in Asia, hitting milestones in Japan and South Korea, whilst also expanding the smartphone ecosystem across the region thanks to its open-source tweak-ability.

Here are a dozen of the most significant Android-related stories we’ve covered at PO in the past year, in no particular order.

Android Market Expands to 131 Countries – But Not China

In a good, early omen for Android in Asia, the Android Market expanded to accept payments for apps in 131 countries across the globe. But a noticeable absentee was China, where Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) still seems to be marked out for its going public with claims of State-backed hacking in 2010.

Google Android Outgrows Apple in Japan Smartphone Market

But in Japan, Android has been having an easier ride and gaining momentum far earlier. To that end, it outgrew Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS platform in March of this year as Android soared to 4.6 million users across Japan.

SK Telecom Splashes US$924 Million for 4G LTE Spectrum

In neighboring South Korea, the rolling out of 4G networks is bound to be great news for Android, as no iPhone models support the faster mobile web system. Samsung (005930:KS) and LG (066570:KS) are the first to benefit.

Samsung Indonesia Scores Another First Day Sell-Out With Galaxy S2

Speaking of Samsung, it’s helping push forward Android in Indonesia, a country that has previously only been keen on BlackBerry-flavour smartphones.

Games Back in South Korea’s Android Market

Returning to South Korea for a moment, all game apps were barred from the local Android Market by a regulatory ban because of a lack of age ratings (well, the same fate befell Apple’s iTunes store too). But by November, the issue seemed resolved in the Market, and South Korean mobile gamers could get their thumbs back into the action.

Baidu Launches Android-Based Mobile OS

In September, China’s leading search engine, Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) unveiled its Android-based mobile OS, called Baidu Yi. But we’d have to wait a few months to see it in the flesh – indeed, just yesterday, Dell launched the first Yi-powered phone.

Chinese-made Android Spyware Can Record, Upload Users’ Phone-Calls

But things have not been all rosy in Google’s low-walled garden. And a Chinese-made form of Android spyware was detected in the wild, hidden inside pirated and repackaged apps, that could listen in on people’s phone-calls.

Major HTC Android Security Flaw Revealed

It got even worse for HTC (TPE:2498) when it was discovered that every single phone running the newest and shiniest version of HTC Sense – like the HTC Incredible – was hiding a critical security flaw.

Samsung Dominates Android in China, But Tablets Growing Less Popular [INFOGRAPHIC]

To compound HTC’s woes – to say nothing of the ongoing legal wrangles with Apple – Samsung’s Galaxy S seems to be China’s favourite and most popular Android smartphone this year – stealing the crown from Taiwan’s HTC.

$50 Android Smartphones? Coming Next Month to China

Despite all the headlines devoted to slim and sexy gadgets, budget Android phones have been the secret sauce/source of its huge growth in Asia this year. And a new chipset by the Chinese manufacturer Spreadtrum (NASDAQ:SPRD) could bring the cheapest ones down to as little as US$50.

Asia Loves Android Apps, Has Most Downloads Per Capita [INFOGRAPHIC]

This month, Google celebrated its 10 billion apps milestone in its Market with a fancy infographic which revealed that the world’s top three app downloaders are all Asian nations.

Co-founder of Xiaomi Demos New Smartphone, Just Released [VIDEO]

Lastly, one of the most talked-about Android phones in China this year was from a small startup called Xiaomi, which made a home-grown dual-core Android beast for just 1,999 RMB. It’s based on Android and makes use of the team’s own MIUI UX, which has become popular amongst ROM lovers and modders around the globe. Our own Willis Wee went to Xiaomi HQ for a hands-on demo.

By the way, catch our full series of 2011 round-ups that we’re adding to throughout December.

This morning in Beijing, the American company Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) is unveiling a smartphone that runs Baidu’s (NASDAQ:BIDU) newly-launched Yi OS. It’s a major partnership that marks the Chinese search engine giant’s biggest move into mobile.

The Dell Streak Pro D43 (pictured above and below) has a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen that’s high-definition (aka: qHD at 960 by 540 pixels), an 8-megapixel main camera plus a 1.3-megapixel one for video-chatting, and has WCDMA 3G that’ll run on China Unicom (NYSE:CHU; HKG:0762), the same network that carries the iPhone in the country.

The Baidu Yi OS is based on Google’s mobile system, Android, which is permitted under the software’s open-source structure. And so it features core Android features such as voice commands in Chinese, onto which Baidu has built an ecosystem of its own – with apps such as Ting for its streaming music service, Yue for e-books, and Baidu’s own Maps app as well.

Dell's new smartphone for China, running Baidu's Yi OS. (Source of both images: Sina Tech news)

There’s no word yet on price, but judging by the specs, Dell and Baidu are, with its first-ever Yi handset, aiming for the top-end of the market that’s occupied by the iPhone and the likes of Motorola’s (NYSE:MMI) new customized-for-China MT917 RAZR, which runs standard Android 2.3.

The pictures above, sourced from Sina Tech, show a familiar Android interface mixing app icons with widgets. There seems to be a very iPhone-esque folder icon on there too, which is a sign that Baidu has improved the poor folder system in Android 2.3, which is what the Yi OS is based on.

In due course, Baidu will also release an open API for Yi, with developer tools to allow more deep integration of apps with Baidu services. But for now, any app made for Google’s Android platform will also work on Yi, giving Dell and Baidu the benefit of lots of apps and popular games, such as Angry Birds, ready to play on the new Dell-Yi device.

The press conference is still ongoing, and we’ll update if more juicy details are revealed.

The Dell Streak 5 - a contender for running Baidu Yi.

Damn, this is shaping up to be a competitive month for smartphones in China! First we had Xiaomi’s M1, which will finally be available to everyone on December 18. Then there were the rumors that we might see the iPhone 4s finally hit the China market this month. And now rumors are spreading that Dell may be offering a new handset of its own this month running Baidu’s new Android-based Baidu Yi mobile OS.

Baidu Yi was launched back in early fall but we have yet to see a handset paired with the OS. Shortly after its launch, rumors were swirling that Dell would offer the first Baidu Yi handset in November, and while it obviously missed that date, Seeking Alpha analyst Jiang Zhang thinks we can expect a Dell phone this month, and we suspect he’s right.

According to Jiang, the Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) handset should go for around 3,000 RMB ($470), which puts it in an interesting market space — cheaper than almost every major smartphone, but not quite as cheap as the upstart Xiaomi M1, which retails for 2,000 RMB ($312). But the real advantage of the device will be the Baidu Yi OS, which integrates with a variety of Baidu services millions of Chinese net users are already familiar with and using on a daily basis. That could be a huge draw, and it’s something no one else can offer.

When contacted, Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) had no comment on the rumor that a Baidu Yi handset might hit the market this month. Nevertheless, we strongly suspect you’ll see a Dell handset this month, and in the year to come presumably other handset manufacturers will also begin offering their own handsets running Baidu Yi natively.

We’re looking forward to seeing what Dell’s come up with, and how Chinese mobile users respond to Baidu’s new mobile OS. We’ll be keeping an eye on this story and will be sure to let you know when the handset is officially announced.

Baidu’s (NASDAQ:BIDU) lively discussion forum portal, Tieba (meaning ‘Post Bar’ in Chinese) – which is the closest thing the search engine has to a social success – gets its own Android app today (pictured above). The Tieba app features bookmarking, multi-account sign-in, and an improved reading layout. Previously, Android users had to make do with a web app in the browser.

There’s no word, yet, of an iOS version – but that has been the pattern recently at Baidu, which has been pushing hard on Android, which so many young users are now adopting. Currently, Baidu has 14 apps in the official Android Market, including its Ting streaming music app; although this new Tieba arrival has not yet appeared there.

Just yesterday we saw Baidu make another investment in Android when it acquired the Chinese start-up PhotoWonder, which makes an Instagram-like app and social network called PhotoSola.

It’s conceivable that all these standalone apps will come baked-in to Baidu Yi, the Android-powered mobile OS that it announced earlier this summer.

Tieba started in 2003, and is perhaps the largest user-generated content site in the world, where tens of millions (or hundreds of millions?) of people post amusing or reflective posts and engage in silly or serious debates. It’s not as structured or broad as, say, Kaixin or Renren (NYSE:RENN), but it’s still proving popular, even in the age of Weibo.

If you want to try out the Tieba Android app, it’s up on HiAPK, a third-party download site.

The Dell Streak 5 - a contender for running Baidu Yi.

[Update - After reaching out to Baidu, it’s clear this is a very general statement made by Dell about working with Baidu on various other projects - it’s not a specific deal to put the Yi platform on Dell devices. Official partner announcements will be made at a later date; nothing is official yet. I’ve updated the post to reflect this.]

After Baidu’s unveiling of its Android-based mobile OS last Friday, we have an official announcement word from Dell that it’s teaming up with China’s biggest search engine for mobiles and tablets – but that doesn’t necessarily mean it pertains to Baidu Yi. Nonethless, Dell might well be the first official partner for Yi. The Chinese press is reporting a rumor that November is the earliest likely date for Baidu Yi to appear on devices in the shops.

Quoted by Reuters today, a Dell spokeswoman says:

We have a partnership with Baidu and you know we have the Streak 5 tablet, so the partnership will be in that space.

If Dell turns out to be a Yi partner, it’s likely it’ll also bring the new Android-based platform to its own smartphones as well. Dell has been particularly active in China with its phones since 2009 when it launched the Mini 3i, which was very much designed for business-oriented Chinese smartphone buyers. The Dell Streak 5 (pictured at the top, running regular Android 2.2) is one of many such devices that could have Baidu Yi easily slipped inside of them.

A screenshot from a Baidu video of its new mobile OS. Pictured is the SMS app in use.

Looking beyond November, it’s probable that other partners will run with Yi – possibly HTC. Motorola is theoretically possible – although it has been bought by Google, there’d surely be no conflict in it running a licensed fork of Android, even if it is made by a search engine market rival.

Until then, let us know what you think of Dell’s phones in the comments. Would they make a good vehicle for Yi, or would a cooler brand like HTC have a bigger impact?

Screenshots of Baidu's new mobile OS/platform, 'Baidu Yi'.

This morning, Baidu – at its annual Baidu World event in Beijing – launched its Android-based mobile OS, dubbed Baidu Yi (pictured above).

As it builds upon Google’s Android OS, it’ll have all the same core features, such as integrated voice search. But of course Baidu also has lots of its own apps ready for Baidu Yi – there’ll be Maps, Yue (a reader app), Shen Bian (like Google Places), and Ting (its music app).

Baidu also has some good Android apps that have been available for a while that it can now integrate into its new Baidu Yi platform, such as its input-method editor (IME) for typing or hand-drawing Chinese characters.

The new Baidu Yi platform will also feature strong cloud integration for storage, back-up and sharing – a key aspect also of Alibaba’s recently-launched mobile OS, called AliYun.

From an introductory video supplied by Baidu, it looks like the Ting mobile app will support MP3 downloads of its licensed music (see screenshot below), which comes from its Baidu Ting web app.

A Baidu video shows MP3 downloading or streaming within the Baidu Ting music app.

Back in June, we reported on rumors that Baidu was working on an Android-based mobile OS, and I suggested that Baidu already has lots of Android apps that’d fit together nicely into its own OS. And, indeed, that seems to be pretty much what has happened.

We’ll update as soon as we hear when there’ll be handsets ready for Baidu Yi, and which manufacturers are on board. In the interim, you might like to have a look at more screenshots over on the Baidu Yi product page, which has just gone live.