Google's Android mobile platform is getting closer and closer, and it will soon come to challenge Windows Mobile, Symbian and Apple's much-appreciated iPhone.

The man behind Android OS, Andy Rubin, Director of Mobile Platforms at Google, recently made a new video presentation with a handset based on the Android platform, and thanks to Darren Waters from BBC, the video was released on the Web.

The Android phone presented by Andy Rubin is a 3G touchscreen one powered by a Qualcomm processor at a bit over 300 MHz, and it's packed with lots of features, including Google Maps (of course), Music Player and some sort of YouTube video player. Although the phone is a touchscreen one, it doesn't mean all the Android based handsets will be touchscreen-enabled, Andy Rubin said.

There are no details about the phone's manufacturer, but as you can see for yourself, it's not a handset that can be considered cool in terms of design. Anyway, I suppose this is just a device for tests and will not be commercially available.

The Android OS seems very easy to use for basically anything. Internet browsing, for example, looks to be a fast and user-friendly experience, thanks to a WebKit browser (specially modified for the Android OS) that brings similar features to Opera Mobile's ones, including the ability to zoom and pan.

The Android platform enables the integration of 3D graphics chips and, as showed in the video preview, the Android handset can run the famous Quake game at 30 Fps, in real-time 3D. Moreover, Android is the first mobile platform that can run Google's Street View application.

Up until now, no one knows what mobile manufacturer will release the first Android phone. But we'll find out in the second half of 2008, when Google and the Open Handset Alliance plan Android's official release.

For now, enjoy the video demonstration from below (courtesy of BBC):