The anticipation and excitement surrounding the upcoming Nexus 5 smartphone and Android 4.4 Kitkat software update have reached a feverish pace, especially when you consider the phone briefly appeared on the Google Play store last week. And if the latest rumors prove to be true, consumers won't have to wait much longer for the device as the latest suggests it will launch on October 31 in the US.

Canadian tech blog MobileSyrup claims a source tipped them off to the Halloween launch date. What's more, Canadian residents could see the phone arrive a week later on November 7 or 8 through multiple carriers including Bell, Koodo, Rogers, Telus and Virgin Mobile. Of course, as with all rumors, this one should be taken with a healthy helping of salt as several 'launch' windows have already come and gone.

Built by LG, the Nexus 5 is rumored to ship with a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB of system memory, a 4.95-inch display operating at full 1080p resolution, 4G LTE, NFC and support for the coveted Wi-Fi 802.11ac. Some sources also claim it will also arrive with an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2,300mAh battery.

When the phone briefly appeared on Google Play, it was priced starting at $349 which is the same price the current Nexus 4 sells for. It's worth pointing out that this is the off-contract price which makes the device extremely attractive.