Baidu.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU),
the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, today announced its
intention to launch an instant messaging (IM) service, called "Baidu Hi."
"We are very excited to enter the IM market in China," said Haoyu Shen,
Baidu's vice president of business operations. "The Internet is playing an
increasingly important role in people's lives in China, and we are
constantly looking for ways to bring more convenience and functionality to
our users. With Baidu's strengths in creating online communities, and with
our suite of popular products such as Baidu Knows, Baidu Post Bar and Baidu
Space, we are confident that Baidu Hi will become a strong competitor in
China's IM market."
Research and development for Baidu Hi has been underway for almost one
year. Baidu is currently in the process of recruiting additional personnel
for the team dedicated to developing the product. All elements of Baidu Hi,
including product design, research and testing, will be handled
independently by Baidu. Internal testing for this product is currently
underway.
Baidu
Baidu.com, Inc. is the leading Chinese language Internet search
provider. As a technology-based media company, Baidu aims to provide the
best way for people to find information. In addition to serving individual
Internet search users, Baidu provides an effective platform for businesses
to reach potential customers. Baidu's ADSs, each of which represents one
Class A ordinary share, are currently trading on the NASDAQ Global Select
Market under the symbol "BIDU."
Source: Baidu
Digg
Reddit
Slashdot