If we look back to the days of the search engine revolution, Google (GOOG) built not only the most powerful search engine, but a business model based on that search engine that has made the company No. 1 in that category.

The company is on the move again -- and Google's Android is leading the way. Google sees the next leg of the Internet revolution in the smart phone, tablet and e-reader market -- and there's already a fierce battle raging. Google's Android is making inroads into the iPhone turf. How deep is the penetration? Singapore research firm Canalys said, "Google shipped twice as many devices as Apple's iPhone. in the fourth quarter," capturing 33% of shipments, up from 8.7% a year ago.

After the closing bell sounded Monday, Canadian tech firm Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM) released the BlackBerry PlayBook, its answer to Apple's (AAPL) iPad. The tablet has a 7-inch LCD screen, a front-facing video camera, and a 1Ghz dual-core processor. The PlayBook will also support Adobe's Flash.

The PlayBook wasn't a real surprise, as The Wall Street Journal hinted a week ago that RIM would introduce a tablet. While the company didn't release the price, Silicon Alley Insider posits that BlackBerry will assign a price tag in the $400 to $500 range. Why not introduce the price now? Silicon Alley Insider suggests that this was a smart move by RIM, as it could be as many as six months before the PlayBook will ship, which means there may be more competition from other companies, along with the potential for a new iPad from Apple. Waiting allows RIM to gauge the prices from the other companies and price its offering a bit more competitively.

Get ready for a flood of tablets to hit the market as tech companies try to benefit from the glow of Apple's (AAPL) iPad. And one of the first entrants is Samsung Electronics. This week, the company launched its Galaxy Tab.

And yes, the device runs on Google's (GOOG) mobile operating system, Android (version 2.2). The screen comes to 7-inches and you can access the Net via a cell phone connection (and you can make calls as well). There is also storage capacity of 16GB. Interestingly enough, the Galaxy has a front and rear camera, something the iPad does not have.

Intel (INTC) has a problem. It's the leader in PC chips, but it hasn't done nearly as well in the mobile devices market . To remedy this, it just bought the Wireless Solutions Business of Infineon for $1.4 billion.

Intel said that "The acquisition expands [its] current Wi-Fi and 4G WiMAX offerings to include Infineon's 3G capabilities and supports Intel's plans to accelerate LTE. The acquired technology will be used in Intel® Core processor-based laptops, and myriad of Intel® Atom™ processor-based devices, including smartphones, netbooks, tablets and embedded computers."

Of course, mobile devices have been a game-changer for Apple (AAPL). And perhaps the sleeper hit is its iPad, which is growing at a torrid rate. Hey, it will be in China soon.

Google (GOOG), which is trying to break out of its online advertising focus, is working aggressively to get a piece of the mobile action. As seen with its Android operating system, there has certainly been lots of traction. In fact, there are roughly 200,000 activations per day.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Canadian firm Research in Motion Limited (RIMM) is preparing new devices and software to compete with Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and iPad. RIM's offering reportedly has a slide-out keyboard and a touch screen and works much like the iPhone as far as swiping through screens and expanding images by touch. In addition, the communications firm is toying with a tablet as a larger-screen BlackBerry phone.

RIM will not comment on the Journal story, as it is considered rumor and speculation. However, should the firm's new products come to fruition they would be available around the end of the year. RIM continues as a leader in the global smartphone market, but it is losing ground in North America thanks to AAPL's iPhone and iPad.

It seems that you can't swing a dead iPod in the financial media lately without hitting an article about Apple's (AAPL) hotly anticipated "iSlate" (and yes, I realize I am part of the problem right now). The Cupertino, Calif.-based company is unveiling its latest gadget in San Francisco next week, and just about everyone is predicting that it will be a touch-screen tablet computer.

The New York Times (NYT) has been struggling to figure out the web, which has led to a debate over whether to charge for electrons that has spanned years. Well, the Times seems likely to take the plunge, hoping to replicate the successes of the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal ... except, of course, that the Wall Street Journal is famous for not really delivering profits. Fortunately, the new pay wall is expected to look more like the Financial Times than the Wall Street Journal. The New York Times is considering a "metered" system. Visitors will be able to read a certain number of articles free before being required to subscribe.

A friend of Arthur Sulzberger, according to New York Magazine's Daily Intel, said that the final word could come in a few days, a sentiment corroborated by a newsroom source who said that the plan could be announced within weeks. Yet, plans need to be implemented, so it could take months for the Times to begin charging for content.

Apple (AAPL) got an early Christmas present, as its shares hit an all-time high on Thursday. The excitement over its much-anticipated tablet computer is growing, and word is a major launch event is planned for the device in January (keep an eye on San Francisco). Apple still hasn't admitted to the project, but that didn't manage to dampen speculation.

Yair Reiner of Oppenheimer said in a note to investors this month that Apple could have a tablet out on the streets by the beginning of April. Brian Marshall, an analyst at Broadpoint AmTech, sees the product reaching shelves by the end of the first quarter. Marshall sees the stock continuing to push upward next year, as "people are coming back to the well."

Apple Computer Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) week-long Macworld expo is kicking off tomorrow, and here is a look at what possible new products are being discussed on various tech blogs:

• iPhone: The most rumored of all Apple devices for months. There has been a ton of speculation that the iPhone will finally be unveiled at Macworld; however, MacRumors.com points out that "none of the more credible rumors have specifically pointed to Macworld as the launch date for the device." Another MacRumors post, citing the International Herald Tribune, discussed the iPhone, which they believe will be released at Macworld, and will be "closer to personal computers in pocket form."
• iTV: In September 2006, Steve Jobs introduced iTV and said it would be coming in the first quarter of 2007, which is now. The Unofficial Apple Weblog bloggers are predicting either the official announcement, the finalization, the release date, or the shipment of iTV. However, nobody seems to be sure exactly what it is.
• iLife and iWork '07: The annual updating of Apple's iApps should continue. ZDNet.com says in addition to these updates, we may also see the addition of a spreadsheet, rumored to be called "Numbers" or "Sheets." Not exciting, but not every Macworld announcement can be, can it?
• Mac Tablet: ZDNet.com writes that although this is the product they would most like to see, they are putting the odds at 100:1 that it will be released, due to the small potential market for tablet PCs.
• iSight: Wired.com believes we will see an updated iSight camera at Macworld.
• Leopard: There is a general agreement that the release date for the latest OS will come at Macworld.