GOOGLE HAS forged a distribution alliance with Sony’s PC division and is in talks with other computer makers as it seeks to promote its well-regarded but little-used Chrome web browser.

The renewed efforts to expand the reach of Chrome come a year after Google opened a new front in the browser wars with the surprise launch of the software. They highlight the difficulties the company has faced in using Chrome as a strategic weapon to counter Microsoft.

The deal with Sony is the first the internet company has struck with a computer maker. Similar distribution alliances have become a key part of the internet search wars as Microsoft and Google vie to be the default search service on new PCs.

Google confirmed that Sony PCs carrying Chrome had started to go on sale and said it was in talks for similar deals with other computer makers. It said the arrangement was “experimental” and part of wider efforts to boost distribution, including a deal to make Chrome available to internet users who download the RealPlayer software and the company’s first use of television advertising.

Brian Rakowski, product management director for Chrome, claimed a successful launch for the browser, which has 30 million active users. However, that is equivalent to little more than 2 per cent of all internet users, compared with 68 per cent for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, according to Net Applications.

The lacklustre launch contrasts with that of the Firefox browser in 2004, which was used by 8 per cent of all internet users after its first year. Although it lacks Google’s massive reach and deep engineering resources, Firefox is used on almost a quarter of all internet-connected PCs. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009)