Google-Sony deal signals new front in browser war

A year after Google debuted Chrome with a bang, the browser may have failed to meet expectations. But recent moves by the search giant signal a new campaign in the war against rivals, analysts said today.

"From the outside, the thought last year was that Google would push Chrome a lot more than it has," said Ray Valdes, an analyst for Gartner, who said he expected Chrome to have a larger slice of the browser market 12 months after its September 2008 launch. "But with this deal, Google is signaling to the market and to competitors, that it's taking a more traditional approach to marketing Chrome."

Valdes was referring to news that Google has struck a deal with Sony to add Chrome to the consumer electronics maker's Vaio line of PCs and is exploring similar arrangements with other OEMs.

Google confirmed that Chrome will come on new Sony systems. "We're continuing to explore ways to make Chrome accessible to even more people," said a company spokesman. "We are in the process of testing one such channel with Sony."

:stroy: Full stroy: Computerworld