This post was contributed by Josh Fenn.
The first smartphone to run the Baidu Yi operating system, Dell’s Streak Pro D43, just received the hands-on treatment courtesy of Engadget Chinese.
Baidu Yi is built on Google’s popular Android platform, but with several key software tweaks. Predictably, Google Search, Maps, and Music have been replaced by Baidu’s respective services. Baidu Search and Maps seem to provide a similar experience to that of Google’s offerings; however, it’s worth noting that Baidu Ting – a cloud music service with a social networking aspect – promises on-the-go access to a library of over 500,000 high quality songs.
In China, Android smartphones are a dime a dozen. The success of the Streak Pro D43 (and perhaps even the Baidu Yi OS itself) could depend on its ability to distinguish itself from its peers with exclusive or otherwise unique software.
In terms of hardware, the phone has a 4.3”, 960 x 540 qHD Super AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass, and a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm CPU. Although it only comes with 8 GB of built-in storage, Dell was kind enough to include a microSD card slot capable of handling up to 32 GB cards.
For more info on the look and feel of the Dell Streak Pro D43 and the Baidu Yi operating system, check out the links below.
Source: Engadget Chinese (Chinese language)
Video: Hands-On
