The rumor mill giveth and the rumor mill taketh away. Late Sunday night, a commenter on our site posted a surprising confession: he was the source of several rumors regarding Android 4.2. Initially, we confirmed that this commenter was the same who had sent us some different yet equally fantastic stories. Our batch hinted that Robert Downey Jr. might have been hired to introduce the new Nexii for the next couple years, for example. Now, Android & Me has posted a retraction of the initial article stating that Android 4.2 would contain a Customization Center and Project Roadrunner.

However, the commenter known as Peter claimed that a certain set of Android rumors were not a part of his elaborate and entertaining ruse. According to Peter:

The following rumours were not part of the hoax, though:

- The WSJ Article that reported that there are several Nexus devices this year.

- The rumour that states that there might be a LG Nexus and the confirmation from CNET.

- All the 4.2 handy that were spotted on several server log.

- The rumour regarding the forbidden SD-slot.

Of course, skepticism is at an all time high when an anonymous source comes out and says "I've been fibbing, but this is definitely true." However, since there is obviously a lot of confusion, let's do a rundown of what we do know and attempt to clear things up, shall we?

There Will Be Multiple Nexuses

For starters, this initial report came out of the Wall Street Journal back in May. If we are to believe that Peter is responsible for this rumor, then he's been at this a while. Which, of course, is not impossible. However, as we covered here, we've already seen traces of multiple distinct devices with new codenames we haven't encountered before running Android 4.2 in our own server logs. Furthermore, both the occam and manta have showed up in benchmark results, lending even further credence to the idea that these devices exist.

While it's still unclear just how or if Google will be creating a Nexus Certification Program, at the very least we have semi-hard evidence that two unreleased devices on a new version of Android are out there running tests and pulling up websites. Combine that with the following section and, on a scale of 1-10, we'll give this one a solid 8.5 for believability.

LG Is Making A Nexus Device

For starters, it's worth pointing out that this alleged device could be the occam mentioned in the previous section, but just as easily could not (David's preference for puns aside). If it is distinct, that brings the total Nexus device count to three. Entirely separate rumors point to an LG Nexus phone. For starters, CNET's sources claim that LG and Google will be announcing a new Nexus at the end of this month. This is roughly in line with the timing of last year's Galaxy Nexus announcement. Delays on Android updates are not unheard of, but Google does try to stick pretty close to a six-month release cycle. An October announcement could be made for an OS released in December. After all, Ice Cream Sandwich, released in Q4 of 2011, was initially previewed at Google I/O in May of the same year.

However, one source does not proof make. Fortunately, MoDaCo is filling in some of the gaps. The site posted a spec list that sounded somewhat reasonable, and apparently came from a variety of sources. The most easy-to-digest rumor is that LG's Nexus would be based on the Optimus G. Perhaps it's part of another elaborate hoax but, again, we have multiple independent reports, so it's at least worth keeping an eye on.

SD Slots Are Forbidden

Google doesn't like SD card slots. This information is a little less common than one might expect, but to catch you up if you don't know already, Google has not included a microSD card slot on any Nexus device since the Nexus One. This is because the company wants to avoid sending a user to a file manager or dialog box asking where you would like to store information. Agree or disagree with the philosophy, but for Google's flagships, this is how the company has chosen to operate.

That being said, if the rumors are true and Google will be expanding the Nexus line, it stands to reason that a stipulation of any expanded Nexus Certification Program would be that no microSD card slots are allowed. This isn't a rumor that's typically widely reported on its own, but given that Google is so openly opposed to the feature, it's pretty easy to believe.

The Question Isn't Why We Write, It's What's Worth Writing For

So, what about the rest of the stuff? Well, as for the collection of rumors that we relayed here, it looks like those are false, unless confirmed elsewhere (as we've shown). Every once in a while, something slips into the mill that sounds believable and turns out to be untrue. It happens to the best of us. However, at times like this, it's worth taking a step back to remember why we do what we do: because we love Android. That goes for us, the Android Police staff, the writers for our competitor's sites, and you, our readers. We love seeing what's going to come next because over the last four years we've followed closely and life has only gotten better.

At the end of the day, though, chasing rumors is entertainment. It won't get any of us any closer to the new version of Android. It will still be released when Google decides it's time. It's fun, though, to know what's coming and, for some of us, it may even influence our buying decisions. Would the world keep spinning if everyone had to wait until the next Nexus was brought to light to know what's coming in Android 4.2? Sure. But chasing down rumors is a fun endeavor that we can sometimes use to save some money or be more knowledgeable.

We'll continue to keep up with the rumor mill as we always have. The spirit of competition is alive and well in the Android blogging world, and we will all want to provide the best, most reliable information as quickly as possible. At the end of the day, though, sometimes misinformation will occur and, when it does, we'll do our best to clarify everything and put you on the right track.