Nexus 5 Release Date Still Coming? Device And Android 4.4 KitKat Remain Unofficial After Google Play Event; New Prospective Launch Date Oct. 31

The Google Play event, which took place Thursday, was reportedly not intended for the media or public, but was rather a private event for Google employees and other privileged invitees to relax and enjoy a night of music, movies and games, as was detailed in the invite sent to tech website Geek.com.

The invites for Google's event, which were sent out on Oct. 18, had many speculating that the highly anticipated Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 KitKat would be announced there, but both the smartphone and operating system remain unofficial. Thursday evening, Google employees and friends simply socialized to the tunes of California indie pop duo Capital Cities, and shared tidbits of the action via social media.

Russell Holly of Geek.com also took to social media to clarify the confusion. Notably, previous reports had sources insisting that the event would not feature hardware. Fervor about the Nexus 5/Android 4.4 launch, however, has been so great that fans and pundits alike have grasping for any indication that the smartphone and operating system will soon be announced.

“Nothing is happening tonight," said Holly. "There will be no live stream, no press conference, nothing. No one is coming out on stage with a mystery device in their pocket, and no one that I know has been given a N5 or N10 for review yet. For your information, while we do occasionally get those before they are available for sale, we do not get them before they are announced.

"I didn’t break an NDA [non-disclosure agreement]. The Google Play team didn’t think I would react the way I did when I got the invitation, and neglected to include some kind of note asking me not to share it. I caused that team a lot of headaches this past week as a result. It was a communication error, and I jumped the gun. End of story, I promise.”

Meanwhile, the rumor mill is once again churning with prospective release dates for the Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 KitKat. Tipsters have told tech website Mobile Syrup that we may see the Android 4.4-powered Nexus 5 for sale at the U.S. Google Play store on Oct. 31, while the Nexus 5 should arrive on various Canadian carriers, including Rogers, Bell, TELUS, Koodo and Virgin, on Nov. 7 or Nov. 8.

These dates have not been confirmed by Google, but many have long considered that the Mountain View, Calif., company would want to capitalize on Halloween with its candy-themed operating system Android 4.4 KitKat. According to CNET, Google has long planned to release the Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 around Halloween.

Another possible date is Oct. 28, Monday, which many deciphered from posts KitKat shared on social media. This date is also unconfirmed by Google, but it appears Google is doing a lot to keep us on our toes before unveiling the Nexus 5 and Android 4.4

Are you disappointed the Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 KitKat were not unveiled on Thursday? Let us know in the comments below.

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