Google has been showing off its Android device during the Google I/O conference, and judging by the way this prototype works, it looks like Android will be a major platform to count with when it launches sometime in the second half of this year.

Not only does the demo device have a super cool UI, but Google will be able to tune the UI to fit a wide range of devices. The demos shown are on a device with a capacitive touchscreen, but Google said that several other types of devices will be supported.

The demo hardware features a 528MHz Qualcomm processor, 128MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM, as well as a UMTS radio. The online demos use a 3.6Mbps HSDPA connection and one of the demos also showed off a built-in accelerometer which allowed Google map's street view feature to move as you move the handset.

The only question that remains is when and how much, and where the first Android devices will appear. If the final devices turns out to be anything like the one demoed, then Apple is going to have some very stiff competition for its 3G iPhone.

Pretty impressive stuff, and you can find some videos, pictures and details here and here.