Baidu Launches Own Mobile Platform

China's top search engine Baidu has launched its own mobile application platform to bolster its presence in the competitive mobile web market. The platform, named Baidu Yi and modelled on Google's Android mobile operating system, will enable third-party application developers to create apps such as games, maps and other tools which they can distribute in a similar way to Apple Inc's App Store, Shanghai Daily reported Saturday. Baidu Yi will be rolled out to mobile devices in the future. The company also launched its new homepage, which will add four features, including social networking functions.