Internet giant Google Inc. (GOOG) will be reporting its second-quarter earnings after the market close on Thursday. Analysts are expecting to see Google report earnings of $6.59 per share. For the same period last year the company had earnings of $5.36.

If the recent past is any indication, we could see another estimate-topping quarter for the company. Google has been able to outpace analyst estimates for each of the past seven quarters.

A big player in the tech sector is ready to report today. Google (GOOG) will publish Q4 results later this afternoon. Traders and investors alike get super excited when the search behemoth tells the world how it's doing.

I think the company will show that it's doing quite well. According to Earnings.com, expectations peg the per-share profit at $6.43. If that number is hit, then the growth rate will be a solid 26% (last year at this time, Google made $5.10 per share). Of course, most people aren't interested in hitting the projected stat, they want management to rise above it and demonstrate true earnings power.

Google (GOOG) is finding out the hard way that a sleek new piece of gadgetry comes with high consumer expectations. The Google Nexus One, which was just released over a week ago for direct sale by Google without a contract from partner T-Mobile USA, is losing the bloom (off the rose, that is).

We are still seeing mixed economic reports, something which may become the norm for early in 2009. Today was also a fairly unsurprising give-back day when you consider just how much stocks closed up yesterday. Home sales data was disappointing, while there were gains in factory orders. Even today's auto data was mixed despite a clear win outlined below. Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

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Apple's (AAPL) iPhone has reinvigorated the wireless handset industry. It was there first (in many ways) and it will be hard for any company without virtually unlimited resources to wrestle the golden crown from Apple. First movers generally don't relinquish their titles.

With Google (GOOG) set to announce the "Nexus One" handset tomorrow based on its own Android mobile operating system, does it want a piece of Apple's action? Is that its goal?