Google unveils browser, acknowledges debt to Apple

By Eric Auchard

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept 2 (Reuters) - Google Inc's (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) new browser software is designed to work "invisibly" and will run any application that runs on Apple Inc's (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Safari Web browser, company officials said on Tuesday.

The company said the new Web browser, dubbed Google Chrome -- a long-anticipated move to compete with Microsoft Corp, Mozilla Firefox and other browsers -- is now available for download at www.google.com/chrome/.

The public trial of the Google browser will be available in 43 languages in 100 countries, Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management said at a news conference at the company's Mountain View, California headquarters.

"You actually spend more time in your browser than you do in your car," Brian Rakowski, group product manager for the browser project, said of the significance of offering a faster browser and forcing greater competition in the market.

Google unveils browser, acknowledges debt to Apple....