Baidu launches smart speakers with its own Duer personal assistant

Baidu unveiled three new smart speakers at CES'18, all with very different core functions: there’s a lamp, a ceiling-mounted projector, and a screen that’s a lot like an Echo Show. Interestingly, none of the device is powered by Alexa or Google-Assistant. The products are all running a new version of Baidu’s DuerOS, called DuerOS 2.0, which was unveiled back in November.

The first one is s a smart lamp/speaker called Sengled. It does all the things you’d except a smart speaker to do, but it’s also able to change colors, since it’s a smart light.

Then, there’s the PopIn Aladdin, named for Baidu’s Japanese subsidiary, PopIn. The Aladdin is one of the more unique smart speakers: it’s meant to be mounted on the ceiling, where it serves as a light, a smart speaker, and a projector all in one. Baidu says it’s designed for smaller households. It will launch in Japan this July.

The last one is an Echo show-like smart screen called the Little Fish VS1. It’s a tinier version of the original Little Fish, which was introduced in 2017. The device has a wedge shape with the screen on top and room for a speaker on the bottom, and it’s wrapped in fabric. It'll launch in China this March.