Google takes aim at Microsoft with new Web browser
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -  
Google Inc. is releasing its own Web browser in a long-anticipated move
aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer
and ensuring easy access to its market-leading search engine.

The Mountain View-based company took the unusual step of announcing its
latest product on the Labor Day holiday after it prematurely sent out a
comic book drawn up to herald the new browser's arrival.

The free browser, called "Chrome," is supposed to be available for
downloading Tuesday in more than 100 countries for computers running on
Microsoft's Windows operating system. Google said it's still working on
versions compatible with Apple Inc.'s Mac computer and the Linux
operating system.

Google's browser is expected to hit the market a week after Microsoft's
unveiling of a test version of its latest browser update, Internet
Explorer 8. The tweaks include more tools for Web surfers to cloak their
online preferences, creating a shield that could make it more difficult
for Google and other marketing networks to figure out which ads are most
likely to appeal to which individuals.

Although Google is using a cartoonish approach to promote Chrome, the
new browser underscores the gravity of Google's rivalry with Microsoft,
whose Internet Explorer is used by about 75 percent of Web surfers.

Google's lead in the lucrative Internet search market is nearly as
commanding, with its engine processing nearly two-thirds of the Web's
queries.

For the past few years, Google has been trying to take advantage of its
search engine's popularity to loosen Microsoft's grip on how most people
interact with personal computers.

The assault so far has been focused on a bundle of computer programs,
including word processing and spreadsheet applications, that Google
offers as an alternative to one of Microsoft's biggest money makers, its
Office suite of products.

Google has tried to make its alternatives more appealing and accessible
by hosting them for free over Internet connections instead of requiring
users to pay a licensing fee to install them on individual computers, as
Microsoft typically does.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has tried to thwart Google by investing billions in
the development of its own search engine and making an unsuccessful
attempt to buy Yahoo Inc. for $47.5 billion.

The tensions between Microsoft and Google now seem likely to escalate
with Google's foray into Web browsing.

Until now, Google had been trying to undermine Internet Explorer by
supporting Firefox, a Web browser developed by the open-source Mozilla
Foundation. Bolstered by an advertising partnership with Google's search
engine, Firefox ranks as the second most popular browser, with a market
share of more than 10 percent. Google recently extended its advertising
alliance with Firefox through 2011.

Bearing the stamp of Google's renowned brand, Chrome could be an even
more formidable rival to Explorer.

Still, Google's name is no guarantee of success. For instance, Google's
instant messaging service hasn't made come close to catching up to the
market-leading products made by Yahoo, Microsoft and Time Warner Inc.'s
AOL.

In a blog post Monday, Google touted Chrome as a more sophisticated Web
browser better suited for displaying the dynamic and interactive content
blossoming on the Web as people migrate from television, radio and
newspapers.

"The Web gets better with more options and innovation," Sundar Pichai,
Google's vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, Google's
engineering director, wrote in the posting. "Google Chrome is another
option, and we hope it contributes to making the Web even better."

Microsoft brushed aside the threat in a statement Monday from Dean
Hachamovitch, Internet Explorer's general manager.

"The browser landscape is highly competitive, but people will choose
Internet Explorer 8 for the way it puts the services they want right at
their fingertips ... and, more than any other browsing technology, puts
them in control of their personal data online," Hachamovitch said.

Even as it has backed Firefox, Google has openly fretted about the
possible ramifications of Microsoft's huge lead in Web browsing.

Google is worried that Microsoft could abuse its power by manipulating
Internet Explorer's default settings in a way that might diminish
traffic to Google's search engine, which serves as the hub of the
largest online ad network.

In 2006, Google contacted the Justice Department to raise alarms about
changes to Internet Explorer that Google believed made it more difficult
to install search toolbars made by Microsoft's rivals. Although
regulators decided not to intervene, Microsoft subsequently modified the
way Explorer handled the selection of search toolbars. 
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