6f863e5ec885c34a3197d02ad617dc97.jpg (Photo : enet.com.cn)
Chinese web services giant Baidu announced last week that it was releasing a wireless music box.
The first 20,000 units went on sale on Jan. 15 and are available on e-commerce site Jingdong Shopping Mall for a retail price of 99 yuan (US$ 16). The device is allegedly compatible with Apple’s iOS and Android. The device also supports a range of wireless streaming protocols including Airplay, Qplay and DLNA allowing users to stream music stored on their smartphones or tablets.
Users can also use the device to access their online accounts and music libraries at Baidu Music, DoubanFM, Xiami Music and QQ Music. Interestingly, in addition to being a music player, the devices doubles as a smart Wifi wireless router giving users that ability to manage their home networks while streaming their music. Baidu says that the device’s built-in dual antennas can supply speeds up to 300Mbps over 802.11 b/g/n networks.
This is not Baidu’s first foray into entertainment hardware manufacturing. Last year Baidu released a number of products including a USB Wifi device, a HDMI TV plug in device, and a smart TV. Analyst suggest that Baidu’s recent foray into hardware manufacturing suggests its intent to push its dominance as a web service into more non-traditional spaces as it continues to fight for market share against its rivals Alibaba, Sohu and Qihoo.
At least in terms of its new music box, reports say, Baidu’s access to huge amounts of music content via its agreements with music producers coupled with its dominance as a search engine and its industry leading technology place it at the front of companies that are looking to exploit Chinese Internet users preference for online services.
