This morning, Google announced a few new products. First, and most importantly, was the Nexus 7 tablet, a 7-inch tablet running the newest Android operating system. At $199 (for an 8 GB model, and no SD card slot for expandable storage) it appears to be a pretty powerful package. The Verge has some more specifics about the device, which will be available in two or three weeks. As Tim Carmody at The Verge says, the Nexus 7 is less of an iPad competitor and more of a shot at winning the niche created by Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet. It's an attempt by Google to claim their place as a seller of e-books, magazines, movies, music, and TV shows.

In addition, Google announced the Nexus Q, which appears (to me) to be an overpriced giant plastic globe that does a bunch of things that devices in your home probably already do, like streaming movies and music to your TV. The Q supposedly works in tandem with the Nexus 7 and other Android devices, allowing you to control your TV from your portable devices.

But the thing that Google is pushing right now is the Nexus 7. Amazon's Kindle Fire has done well—it's the biggest-selling Android tablet, by far—but it's not a runaway success. There's room for competition in the 7-inch tablet field. And the fight is just getting started: Amazon is reportedly announcing another Kindle with improved specs later this month. So with all that in mind: