Dell teams up with Baidu to release smartphones in China

Dell has joined forces with Chinese search firm Baidu to promote the launch of new smartphones in the region after failing to break into the European market.

The PC manufacturer confirmed the partnership, but declined to give any details about forthcoming devices.

"We can confirm Dell's partnership with Baidu for smartphones in China by participating in Baidu Mobile Terminal Union. At this stage we do not have any further details such as product info or a launch date to share," Dell said in a statement to V3.

Baidu has an estimated 74 per cent of the search market in China, according to tracking firm iResearch. The partnership will primarily help Dell to improve its position in the country after its Windows Phone 7 and Android devices failed to take off in Europe and the US.

Francisco Jeronimo, research manager for European mobile devices at IDC, told V3 that this is a positive move for Dell, but will not really help its aspirations in western markets.

"Dell has struggled in western Europe and we are not expecting it to improve. This partnership is akin to a manufacturer in the West joining forces with Google, and could help Dell penetrate the eastern market."

"However, when it comes to Europe and US success, it does not really matter what is going on in China, unless Dell performs extremely well and overtakes Apple, for example."

This is the second high-profile deal for Baidu in two months. The firm signed a deal with Microsoft in July under which Bing will provide the English language search results for Baidu starting later this year as Microsoft attempts to eat into Google's worldwide lead.

Baidu also announced a major shake-up in July to refocus its sales, products and commercial units.