Sony shipping Chrome on Vaios
Japanese electronics giant is the first major computermaker to ship Google's browser, though Chrome will still ride tandem with IE.
Google promised earlier this year that a major computer maker would start to ship its Chrome browser.
Sony's the one.
Sony's Vaio line has begun carrying the browser in the U.S., the Financial Times reported late Monday.
According to a Dow Jones report, all Vaio-branded PCs are now using Chrome as their default browser. A Sony representative told Dow Jones that there are no plans to add Chrome to Vaios outside the U.S.
Vaios will continue to come with Microsoft's Internet Explorer in tandem.
The Financial Times also reported that other companies are in talks with Google about Chrome and that the browser will also be promoted to Internet users who download RealNetworks' RealPlayer media-streaming software. Google has previously said it's in discussions with Dell about bundling the software.
To date--a day before the first anniversary of its launch on September 2, 2008--Chrome has around 30 million active users or around 3 percent of the global market. This makes it the fourth most-popular browser after Internet Explorer, Mozilla's FireFox, and Apple's Safari.
Rupert Goodwins of ZDNet UK reported from London.
Updated at 6:55 a.m. PDT: Details from Dow Jones report added.