Google signs distribution deal with Sony for Chrome browser

LONDON - Google has struck a distribution deal with Sony to include its Chrome web browser on all Sony Vaio laptops sold, the company's first such deal since launching the browser as a rival to Microsoft's Internet Explorer last year.

Google's well-regarded but little-used browser Chrome will come pre-installed on Sony Vaio laptops. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

A spokesman for Sony said: "Our decision to carry Chrome is based not only on the browser's quality and functions, but also on our relationship with Google."

Google said: "User response to Google Chrome has been outstanding, and we're continuing to explore ways to make Chrome accessible to even more people."

Chrome accounts for about 2.6% of the web browser market, with about 30m active users, behind Microsoft's Internet Explorer (67.7%), Mozilla's Firefox (22.5%) and Apple's Safari (4%).

Although Microsoft remains the market leader, Internet Explorer has consistently lost market share over the past year, mainly to the popular .

Sony said it expects to sell about 6m Vaio laptops worldwide next year.

The agreement marks Google's first distribution deal for Chrome with a hardware manufacturer and is a necessary step in its mission to take some of the sheen off Microsoft.

It launched its Chrome browser a year ago and -- in a rare move for the internet giant -- .

Google said it was in talks with other computer makers with a view to forming similar partnerships.

The company is also developing its Chrome operating system, which it announced earlier this year, as a rival to Microsoft's Windows, the de facto OS for most PCs.

Microsoft is currently preparing for the October launch of Window's 7, its newest OS, which has been critically acclaimed by the tech industry -- putting to rest the universally panned Window's Vista.

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