Turn your Edge’s earpiece into a front-facing speaker. Photo: Samsung

Samsung has this annoying habit of putting loudspeakers on the back of its smartphones, meaning they become muffled when you place them down or hold them in your palm; the South Korean company hasn’t yet gotten around to copying HTC’s front-facing BoomSound speaker setup.

But owners of a rooted Galaxy Note Edge can turn their handset’s earpiece into a second loudspeaker themselves with this simple software tweak.

Android 5.0 running on the Galaxy S5. Video: SamMobile

Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 has become the latest third-party smartphone to get an Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade. Handsets with the SM-G900F model number — which are typically sold in Europe — are getting the new software first, and it brings a whole host of new features alongside significant performance improvements.

Google Inbox is available everywhere. Photo: Google

Still haven’t gotten an invite to try Google Inbox yet? Well, now’s your chance. Google is now handing out invitations to anyone who asks for them, but only until 12 p.m. Pacific today — so you’ll have to act fast if you want to bag one.

A new Lollipop release is already available. Image: Cult of Android

Many of Google’s Nexus devices have only just gotten their Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrades, and already the search giant is making Android 5.0.1 factory images available to download. The updates should soon be rolled out over-the-air to more recent Nexus devices, but those who know how to can flash them manually right away.

We haven’t seen the best of Samsung’s Galaxy A-series yet. Photo: TENAA

Samsung’s already announced two Galaxy A-series devices, but the most exciting entry in the lineup is still under wraps. It’s called the Galaxy A7, and it’s set to become Samsung’s thinnest smartphone so far, according to specifications revealed by TENAA, China’s telecommunications regulator.