Lowell McAdam, CEO of Verizon, is not beating around the bush when it comes to the work that his company is doing with Google.

The CEO openly told the Wall Street Journal that Google and Verizon are working on a tablet. The tablet is an obvious response to the iPad, which AT&T has dibs on. The Google tablet will likely be based on the Android operating system.

?A Google tablet means the same as the HP/Palm WebOS tablet ? more consumer choice,? said Marcus Startzel, senior vice president of sales at Millennial Media, Baltimore, MD. 

Recent data from NPD would indicate a shift in market dominance. But whether that is the case or not, consumers are going to ultimately choose the devices that best serve their needs. 

The NPD report found that Google?s Android is second to Research In Motion?s BlackBerry operating system, beating Apple?s iPhone in the No. 2 slot.
 
According to the company?s report, in order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to include all of its smartphones.

Based on unit sales to consumers last quarter, Android moved into second position at 28 percent, with RIM at 36 percent and Apple at 21 percent.  

?The connected device market is proving not to be about one device or operating system, but an ecosystem,? Mr. Startzel said. ?And it?s an important one?in February, 21 percent of the impressions on our network were from connected mobile devices, not mobile phones.?

Some may say that this is part of the Google-Apple war.

Both companies are trying to be leaders in the application and advertising spaces. 

Apple had a head start with the iPhone, but as the NPD research shows, Android has quickly caught up.

What does the Google tablet mean for its competition with Apple?

?It means the two rivals will continue to battle across a couple of major fronts: devices and advertising,? said Neil Strother, Kirkland, WA-based practice director of ABI Research. ?The result is a high-stakes game of who controls the audience for the mobile Web and applications ? with the attending carriers in the mix as well.?

Google will likely release a new advertising platform to compete with iAd.

This move will be good for the industry, giving advertisers options to pick either, or go with campaigns on both, for maximum reach.

Additionally, advertisers have other network options like Millennial Media, Mojiva and Jumptap.

The competition should keep prices somewhat in check, and all the attention should lift awareness of mobile advertising overall.

?Mobile advertising isn?t really about the OS or the wall garden approach,? Mr. Startzel said. ?Just like it isn?t about apps verses the browser.  

?Whether it is through a connected device like a tablet, or a gaming platform, or a phone, the mobile advertising market is about one core axiom: Advertisers have products to sell and messages to relate,? he said.

?When you focus on the platforms, not the deep consumer insights of mobile, you lose the elegance of the medium in delivering results through reach.?

Apple has made a market in the tablet form factor. But most of the competition will not admit that.

Expect a lot of tablets from various brands on the way to market, many of which may be Android-based.

With the iPhone, it is just one device, while Android has different devices on multiple carriers and more devices are coming to the market. This is what is driving Android?s smartphone marketshare.

If the Android OS was used on various tablet devices, the same might happen in that space as well.

?We have seen the battle lines drawn and Apple has made it clear on the type of advertising they are expecting,? said Noah Elkin, analyst at eMarketer, New York. ?Google will likely have their own take on it.

?The tablets will play a role as the definition of a mobile user is rapidly evolving,? he said.