Just when we thought that the browser battle will remain the exclusive territory of Firefox and Internet Explorer, Google has managed to take the world by surprise once again.

There were several rumors in the past four years that the Web search giant is working on its own Internet browser, but there were no details or official confirmation.

At least since yesterday, when out of the blue, Google announced that it will release a test version of new browse, named Google Chrome. The software is to be available for download Tuesday in more than 100 countries.

But how Googe intends to differentiate itself from Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari (the most serious contenders on the browser market)?

So far, Google said that its Google Chrome aims to deliver a faster, more user-friendly and safer browsing experience for ths uers. .

If Chrome is well-received, Google - which is already the top earner from online advertising and also offers programs and services from e-mail to office software to virtually the entire globe - would further solidify its position in the industry.

But there are also some problems. Google Chrome will surely be closely examined by privacy advocates because the Mountain View, California-based company has been accused of collecting too much data on its customers.

On the other hand, Google Chrome is direct challenge to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

Although Internet Explorer’s market share has dropped from more than 90 per cent a few years ago to today's nearly 75 per cent, Microsoft’s browser is still dominating the market.

In second place is the open-source program Firefox with a share of nearly 20 per cent. Another strong competitor is Apple Inc's Safari.

Chrome is to be released as open-source software, which means that it can be further developed and improved by independent programmers.

Google touted Chrome as being more stable and better at running complex web applications. For instance, it said, Chrome isolates web pages with errors so users can close only the flawed pages without having to shut down the entire application while also receiving better protection from rogue web sites.

The company said Chrome also includes a more powerful JavaScript engine, called V8, to run the next generation of web applications.

The Chrome browser is being introduced with the appearance of the first mobile phones operating on Google's Android software. Internet surfing via cellular phones is seen as the industry's next big growth market, and Apple is also trying to capture the market with Safari on its iPhones.

Google's release of the browser harkens back to the browser war of the mid-1990s. At that time, Microsoft beat back the dominant browser, Netscape Navigator, to insignificance, largely because it offered its Explorer for free with its Windows operating system.

Microsoft introduced the second test version of its Internet Explorer 8 a few days ago. Experts said the latest version of its browser can keep up with the current versions of Firefox and Safari.

Some industry observers said new privacy protections included in Internet Explorer could put a dent in Google's advertising business, which is concentrated on advertisements that pop up and correspond with users' internet searches.

Google's browser is also to allow users to make similar adjustments to the program to keep their data private.

Google's surprise announcement Monday came prematurely, the company said. A copy of a 40-page comic introducing Chrome was mistakenly sent out on its corporate blog, Google Blogoscoped. After the news got out on the internet, Google made its official announcement.