Baidu seems to be in the overdrive mode. The company just inked a deal with music labels which formally marked the end of the
company's long drawn legal battle and now it has released a new browser, which will pit Baidu directly against Microsoft and Google. The Chinese company has released the beta version of its browser, which is now available for download. The browser exhibits links to various apps and webites.
In its early version, the browser features a "Treasure Vault", which acts as a repository of some 30,000 applications including videos and games. Currently, most of the apps are from third party developers, but Baidu would be developing its own apps as well. Like Apple and Google, the company would be charging a cut of revenue from paid third-party apps. The browser is on the lines of Google Chrome and seemed to have borrowed heavily from this popular browser.
Baidu also resolved its legal battle with music companies. It finalized a deal with a music label consortium and the deal will allow it to distribute music via its MP3 search feature. The consortium consists of Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music and it will receive royalties on per-download and per-play basis. Baidu had been held liable of promoting counterfeit and pirated music. With the new deal, Baidu has finally made its service legitimate and would help the company in consolidating its position in the market.