Google Nexus 5 delayed by government shutdown?

October 15th was rumored to be the day that both the Google Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 would be unveiled, but with only hours left in the day, that doesn't appear to be the case. Still, the rumor network remains open for business and among the juiciest of rumors is one that says that in addition to the Nexus 5, we will soon see an updated version of the Google Nexus 4 with LTE.

Another rumor out of Romania had the 16GB Nexus 5 priced at $399 and the 32GB model at $449.The same report said that the prices are this steep because of the addition of the LTE flavored Nexus 4, which will be priced at $299 and $349 for 16GB and 32GB variants respectively. We recently had received a tip a few weeks ago telling us that pricing for the Nexus 5 would start at $299 for 16GB and be raised $100 more for the 32GB unit.

Tuesday's report went on to add that it is possible that the Android 4.4 update activates the 4G LTE chip that is included in the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset inside the Nexus 4, thus allowing current owners of the device to experience LTE. You might recall all of those rumors about enabling LTE for the Nexus 4 when it was discovered that the handset supposedly had a 4G LTE chip under the hood. Android 4.2.2 eliminated any support for LTE on the device. Have that grain of salt nearby, because this sounds like something that has a very remote chance of happening, especially since Google cut the price of the Nexus 4 in order to clear the shelves before the arrival of the next model.

Another rumor making the rounds on Tuesday suggests that the government shutdown has caused a delay in obtaining all of the regulatory approvals needed to launch the Nexus 5. There is also some speculation that the government shutdown has prevented Google from getting the stamp of approval on its smartwatch, which it wants to show off alongside the Nexus 5. Or perhaps Google is waiting for the end of the month to unveil its new device(s). Considering that Apple is rumored to be launching its two new tablets at the end of October, we're sure that there is nothing that would put a wider smile on the faces of those in Mountain View than taking some newspaper space away from Apple during one of the latter's heavily followed product launches.

source: AndroidGeeks via CNET