LG is rumored to be preparing a Google Nexus smartphone, and it could be released as soon as October 29.

LG is one of the manufacturers believed to be producing a Nexus phone for Google, potentially under the name of the Nexus 4, Nexus G or Nexus X. Now, French newspaper Le Figaro has published a report saying the device will be released on October 29.

The article doesn’t provide the source of this information, but claims this will be the worldwide release, while France will be introduced to the phone in December. It’s referred to as the Nexus 4 throughout, a name which has been circulating since it was discovered in UK retailer Carphone Warehouse’s computer system.

Leaks of the LG Nexus phone have shown it to be similar in specification to the Optimus G, meaning it will have that monster quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, a 4.7-inch, 1280 x 768 pixel resolution display and an 8-megapixel camera. This would represent a major alteration over the Optimus G, which has a 13-megapixel camera.

A supposed prototype of the Nexus 4 showed up in a series of pictures on the XDA-developers.com forums earlier this week, when it was shown to run Android Jelly Bean, but the version number wasn’t stated. Today, the device has appeared on a Russian website, which confirms all the above specifications, and publishes some new images.

October 29?

Leaving the feature list aside, let’s take a moment to consider that release date. October 29 is also the day that Microsoft will formally announce Windows Phone 8, so would Google really want to take on Microsoft in a battle for headlines on the same day? It’s not about who gets the most, remember, it’s about gaining the best coverage, and competing that way would be strange considering it has 364 other days from which to choose.

That said, if Google is gearing up to launch a host of new Nexus devices — from LG, Samsung, HTC and Motorola — then perhaps it will decide to go head-to-head with Microsoft, as all its hardware has already been revealed. It’s also not all that clear whether the article claims October 29 will be the release date or the date of the announcement. Either way, it’s still going to have to deal with Microsoft.

Then there is the question of the Optimus G, as if LG’s Nexus phone is based on the company’s new flagship — which comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich — then it may not want it on the streets beforehand either. The Optimus G is still waiting for its final release date, and rumors include a November date for the US and a December or early 2013 date for Europe and the UK. Any Optimus G-based LG Nexus phone may have to patiently wait its turn.

If you fancy a new kind of web browsing experience on your iPad, check out Rockmelt, a Safari "fast and fun" alternative with social media at its core.

Alongside Firefox, Safari, IE and Chrome, Rockmelt is but a small player in the world of web browsers, but with the introduction of its new browser for iPad, that could be about to change.

Founded by Eric Vishria and Tim Howes in 2009, Rockmelt set out to provide a “fundamentally better web experience” by building a browser around how people use and interact with the web today, with a social media focus at its core.

Its ambition has inspired a number of backers to get involved, including venture capital firm Andreeson Horowitz, helping the California-based start-up to raise $40 million to date.

Now it’s moving from desktop to mobile with the launch of a free iPad version that maintains its social media focus, creating a mobile web browsing experience which is more touch than type and a breeze to use.

Imagine a coming together of Flipboard and Pinterest, creating a browser populated with content from your Facebook and Twitter feeds. Scroll down the image-heavy front page until something catches your eye, tap on the item and away you go. Read it without formatting or tap the specs at the top and view the content in its original form on its webpage.

Once you’re done, perform a two-finger pinch to lose it and return to your main page or swipe to the right to save it for later.

You don’t have to go for content from your own social media feeds – tap the browse button at the top of the screen and choose from a long list of other categories, including business, cute, geek, news, science and shopping.

Being a browser with social media at its heart, there are sharing options aplenty. Buttons for Facebook, Twitter and email are all within easy reach, but Rockmelt goes one step further, offering so-called emoticodes such as like, lol, want, wtf?, aww, and hmm for a one-tap response that makes a statement without having to pull up a keyboard.

Yes, it is a browser, so at the top there’s a window where you can tap in an web address if you really must, or a word or phrase to initiate a search on Google. Chances are, however, you’ll be too busy tapping away on the endless streaming content to think about heading elsewhere.

According to a blog post announcing the launch of the app, it took a team of developers eight months to create Rockmelt for iPad, with its main aim to make it fast, fun to use and easy to share content. “It is an entirely new way to explore the web, built for you and your iPad from the ground up,” it says in the post.

It’s definitely worth checking out. If you’re a frequent user of, say, Flipboard, you’ll get what it’s about pretty quick. If you’re coming straight from Safari, it might take a little longer to get your head around. For many, however, it may soon become the iPad browser of choice. You can find out more about it here. 

Apple unveiled a snappy new ad for its refreshed iPod devices on Wednesday highlighting the range of colors on offer.

As Apple begins shipping the first batch of orders for its refreshed iPod range of media players to expectant customers around the world, the tech company has launched a new ad called ‘Bounce’ featuring the new devices.

The 30-second slot, posted on YouTube on Wednesday night and set to air on TV, features a bunch of iPods (touches, nanos and shuffles) bouncing around to a funky track called Yeah Yeah by London-based singer Willy Moon. It’s pretty, slick, and quick, and you can check it out below.

Apple unveiled a new iPod touch last month, featuring a larger 4-inch screen identical in size to that of the iPhone 5. Compared to its predecessor, the updated fifth-generation device is slimmer and lighter, and sports a vastly improved 5-megapixel camera. More RAM and a faster processor make for a much zippier device compared to earlier touches, too. It also comes in six colors – no longer just black and white – a feature that forms the basis of the new ad.

The new seventh-generation iPod nano, described as the thinnest nano to date, has done away with the small square design of its predecessor and returned to the longer look of the fifth-generation nano. An extra color has been added to the range, too.

As for the shuffle, three new colors have been added to the range.