Qihoo 360 is making a mobile OS and taking aim at Xiaomi

When it comes to China’s tech companies, few are more aggressive – at least in terms of public relations – than Qihoo 360. We’ve known for a while that the company is planning to enter China’s smartphone market following its US$400 million investment into a smartphone joint venture with Coolpad. But yesterday the company put up a new site for its phone that also reveals more about the company’s hopes for its mobile OS.

The tagline for that new OS? “An OS that might be better for Xiaomi phones than MIUI.”

Aside from the fact that Qihoo is taking aim at Xiaomi and MIUI, though, we don’t know much more. The company’s phone has been codenamed “AK47,” and the OS will be “based on Android.” The site will also have a discussion forum so that users can offer input on the creation of the AK47 and OS, though that feature hasn’t been launched yet.

Whether Qihoo really has the chops to take on Xiaomi is anyone’s guess. Certainly, the company has a strong background in software, and security in particular, so it is likely to focus on that angle. But it’s worth pointing out that Xiaomi has a nearly half-decade’s head start when it comes to developing a mobile OS. And Qihoo’s previous efforts on the hardware side of the smartphone market have not been successful. Nor do the early signs about this phone – especially the $800 pricetag it’s likely to feature – have inspire confidence. In a recent earnings call, Qihoo CEO Zhou Hongyi said he believes the company’s mobile products will be the best on the market. Proving that he’s right about that is likely to take some doing.

(Source: Sina Tech)