by BLOOMBERG

BEIJING • Baidu Inc has unveiled a smart speaker designed to stake out a spot in a Chinese market bereft of competing Google or Amazon devices.

The Chinese search giant’s palm-sized “Raven H” goes on sale in December and relies on Baidu’s own DuerOS software to power services on the multi hued device. At 1,699 yuan (RM1,070), it’s pricier than devices from JD.com Inc or Alibaba Group Holding Ltd launched this year in a scramble to create devices that can recite search results or book a car ride.

Digital speakers powered by virtual assistants are one of the hottest consumer products around, but Chinese companies are relatively late to a game dominated by US tech giants. Unlike the sleek Amazon Echo or Apple Inc’s HomePod, Baidu’s Raven H resembles a column of cards, with a detachable top deck that doubles as a touch-sensitive remote and can hook up to its own Netflix-style streaming service. Very basic shapes and patterns can be displayed on its surface to form simple numbers or emoticons, for instance.

“Its adjustable design lets its user move through their home or workspace,” said Cheng Lyu, who joined Baidu as GM of its intelligent hardware unit this year.

Success with the Raven H — the first in a series — is vital for Baidu, which is struggling to turn its expertise in artificial intelligence into commercial products. Search revenue growth is slowing and profits from new products such as autonomous cars are years away. — Bloomberg