As the holiday shopping season creeps closer, all signs point to an overwhelming amount of tablets and smartphones hitting the market in the coming weeks. Apple is widely expected to announce its new 7-inch iPad Mini at an event Oct. 23. Microsoft is anticipated to unveil its first tablet, the Surface, along with Windows 8 on Oct. 25. And Google will release its new Nexus 10 tablet and Nexus 4 smartphone on Oct. 29, if a report from Phandroid is accurate.

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Google sent out invitations for a private event this week to be held on Oct. 29 in New York, reading "The playground is open" and "Join us for an Android event." Numerous sources are speculating Google will take the opportunity to launch its new LG smartphone, and Nexus 10 tablet.

LG Nexus 4

"There are conflicting reports on the new Nexus phone, which was first rumored to feature a large 4.7-inch screen. But leaked images referred to a "Nexus 4″ device, which would have a 4-inch screen if it follows the same naming convention as the Nexus 7 tablet," says NBC News.

While some sources have suggested the phone will be branded with HTC, the most prevalent rumor is that the next Nexus phone will come from LG. The company will either produce a 4-inch or 4.7-inch handset for Google, say various reports. Other sources have also reported that LG's new Optimus G will be coming with a rebranding of the fourth Nexus phone. So, we may actually get a phone named something like "Optimus Nexus 4," though none of this has been confirmed.

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Numerous sources expect the smartphone to be a high-end product. It will take on the leading phones like Apple's iPhone 5, Samsung's Galaxy S3 and the Nokia Lumia 920, so that certainly makes sense to us. We can almost certainly expect a quad core processor, better RAM, increased memory, and a decent camera. 4G LTE, NFC are less likely, but still possible.

The Nexus 4 will share the same quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, according to rumors, but will have a more modest 8-megapixel camera rather than the flagship's 13-megapixel shooter.

Google Nexus 10 specs

Google's tablet will sport a 10.1-inch screen, with a pixel density that is higher than Apple's iPad 3, said Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch.

The display will be 2,560x1,600 and will have a PPI of about 299, Shim added, confirming CNET's purported specs. If this is to be believed, Google have definitely made it a point to best the iPad's 264 PPI on Apple's 9.7-inch 2,048x1,536 Retina display.

"It's going to be a high-end device," said Shim. A stark contrast to Google's other rumored, lower-end tablet, the $199 Nexus 7, and upcoming $99 tablet.

While the Nexus 10's features certainly impress, perhaps the most intriguing part of all of this is Google's partnership with South Korean tech giant Samsung. Google will partner with Samsung for the tablet, and co-brand the Nexus 10 with the company, as well, according to Shim.

Google is also partnered right now with Asus for its hugely popular Nexus 7 tablet.

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If the report is accurate, a co-branded tablet from Samsung and Google would flesh out the company's already beneficial relationship. The companies already co-branded the Galaxy Nexus Samsung smartphone together.

Shim described his information about the 10.1-inch Nexus tablet as "supply chain indications," which typically indicates a high likelihood that the product will come to fruition, according to Shim.

Shim also confirmed that Google will start production on a $99 tablet in December.

32GB Nexus 7

The latest rumors indicate that Google could be deviating from its relationship with ASUS in order to release an even cheaper tablet $99 version of its hugely popular Nexus 7.

Google is scheduled to unveil a Nexus tablet model for $99 in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to Digitimes, citing Taiwan-based supply chain makers. "The US$99 Nexus tablet is equipped with an ARM-architecture single-core processor 8950 developed by China-based WonderMedia Technologies, and a HUVA TN panel made by Taiwan-based HannStar Display, the sources said. The tablet will be produced by Taiwan-based Quanta Computer," said Digitimes.

TeckComesFirst reports that a U.K retailer, Argos, has advertised a 32GB version of the Nexus 7 in its holiday gift guide. The snippet from the purported holiday gift guide shows a 32GB ASUS-made Nexus 7 priced at £199.99 (about $323).

"In the US, several leaks have already suggested that the 32GB device will be available for around $250," reports Ben Woods of ZDNet. "One US Staples Advantage promo was spotted by self-confessed 'Google/Android fanatic' Joe Sanchez, who managed to take a screenshot of retailer's online listing for the device before the page was removed."

The Nexus-brand tablets expected to be released by Google will compete directly with Apple's iPad Mini, and Amazon's Kindle Fire HD. And while the tablets are dwarfed in size by the Microsoft Surface's 10-inches, both tablets are expected to be sold well-under the $499 price point.

Although the machines are not as powerful or bulky as the full-sized iPad and the Microsoft Surface, many consumers have opted for 7-inch tablets due to concerns over portability and pricing.