Google and Sony team up in the browser business

Sony (SNE) has started to distribute the Google (GOOG) Chrome browser on its Vaio PCs, offering a small challenge to Microsoft's (MSFT) Internet Explorer and Firefox. The deal does not mean much because of Sony's small share of the computer market, but if Google can get companies with larger sales to do the same as Sony, it could begin to hurt the lead that Microsoft's IE has.

The Financial Times wrote in an exclusive report, "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."