Google spokesman Eitan Bencuya, confirming the deal Tuesday, said Chrome has been shipping on Sony devices since earlier this summer. Sony is the first PC maker to sell computers with Chrome pre-installed.
Bencuya would not say whether Chrome is set as the default browser on those machines, as was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.
“Users response to Google Chrome has been outstanding, and were continuing to explore ways to make Chrome accessible to even more people,” Bencuya said in an e-mailed statement. “We are in the process of testing one such channel with Sony.”
Microsoft Corp.s Internet Explorer is the most widely used Web browser in the world; the distant No. 2, Mozillas Firefox, is gaining in popularity. Googles Web browser launched in 2008 and commands only a sliver of the browser market.
Distribution deals such as this could help Google win over consumers who think of the Mountain View, Calif.-based company only in terms of its Web search dominance. Google has also built a smart phone operating system and is now working on a free PC system to challenge Microsofts Windows.
But its not clear how much this particular deal with Sony can help improve Googles standing. Sonys PC business is too small to be counted on lists by industry research groups IDC and Gartner Inc. of the top five computer makers by unit shipments.