The latest and greatest version of Android is now available for a handful of Google-branded Nexus devices. That's right folks, Google released Android 5.1 Lollipop this week.

Google made Android 5.1 Lollipop factory images available for download on Wednesday for four Nexus devices. Owners of the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, 2012 Wi-Fi Nexus 7, and the Nexus 10 will be happy to know they're the first in the world to receive the new firmware. Although Google has not yet started pushing out Android 5.1 over the air, the search giant has made factory images available for download on its developers site for those who know how to sideload a new version of Android.

Standard operating procedure applies. If you haven't had any experience sideloading a new Android factory image onto your device, you're probably best off waiting a little while until the over-the-air-rollout commences. Improper flashing can lead to a bricked (read: unusable) device.

Remember, it's not always the best move to snag a new Android soon after its release. The initial rollout of Android 5.0 Lollipop was marred by a number of series bugs that caused some users to report in that the new firmware had rendered their device useless. Subsequent patches helped, but it goes to show you that waiting a while means at least you can use your smartphone or tablet, even if it's not running the latest, shiniest Android.

As usual, the Nexus devices are at the front of the line for the new Android update. It's unclear when other manufacturers will release an Android 5.1 Lollipop update for their devices, as many are still in the process of updating their smartphones and tablets to Android 5.0.x Lollipop. However, you can expect some, like Motorola, to have an Android 5.1 Lollipop update ready before others due to the fact that they have devices that run near-stock Android, making the conversion process rather easy.

Which leads us to the reason why Android firmwares seem to release in such a staggered manner across different devices. It all has to do with the developmental process that leads to a situation known as Android fragmentation. You see, once Google releases a new Android firmware's source code, OEMs like Samsung and HTC and Sony have to tailor the operating system to work with their in-house interfaces such as TouchWiz (Samsung) or Sense (HTC). This step adds weeks to the release of a new Android once Google has rolled it out. If a certain device is tied to a carrier, it takes even longer as the carrier goes through and further optimizes the firmware and sneaks in some bloatware.

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