Google takes on Microsoft with Chrome PCs

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Samsung and Acer Inc laptop computers using Google's Chrome operating system will go on sale in June, as the world's No. 1 Internet search engine tries to entice people to do more on the Web.

Samsung's and Acer's new Web-centric PCs are an incursion into territory dominated for years by Microsoft Corp and Apple.

For nearly two years Google has touted Chrome as an alternative to Microsoft Windows, but has faced delays launching PCs designed to use the software.

Meanwhile, the exploding market for smartphones and tablets using Google's Android operating system has quickly taken center stage for the Internet heavyweight, and some observers say Google should reconcile the two.

As with Android, Chrome software will be free, but is expected to spur people to use the Internet more often and search for more things, potentially boosting Google's Internet ads business.

Google also has a Web browser called Chrome that competes against Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

(Reporting by Noel Randewich, editing by Maureen Bavdek)