Cody Lee

Cody Lee, iDownloadBlog.com’s longest-serving Editor, joined the site in 2008. He specializes in uncovering the best deals on Apple products, apps, and accessories. With years of experience in technology journalism, Cody helps readers save money while staying informed about the latest trends and updates in the Apple ecosystem. Cody’s history with smartphones goes almost as far back as he does. As the son of a Nokia employee, he was exposed early on to handsets like the N91 and the Communicator. He has since been involved in nearly every aspect of the mobile phone industry. While going to college, he worked at a Nokia factory, building handsets, and later moved on to a sales position at a major wireless carrier.

Verizon introduces new $80 prepaid unlimited data plan

Cody Lee ∙ April 25, 2017

Verizon on Tuesday announced that it's launching a new unlimited data plan for its prepaid customers. Starting today you can activate the plan, which features unlimited data, talk and text, for $80 per month.

“In just months, Verizon has transformed its prepaid offerings to make it easier and more affordable for customers to get access to the best network at a great value, no matter how much data they need,” said Tami Erwin, executive vice president of operations for Verizon. “This plan is all about giving our prepaid customers more choice. With data plans from as little as 2 GB to unlimited data, we’ve got a plan that fits your needs.”

In addition to the 2GB and unlimited plans, Verizon offers a 5GB plan for $50 and a 10GB plan for $70. Each of these plans include Always-On Data, international text to over 200 countries, and CarryOver data.

Today's news comes less than a week after Verizon announced it lost nearly 300,000 postpaid subscribers during its first quarter. The carrier pointed to its lack of unlimited offerings as the biggest factor in the slide.

Source: Verizon

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Vanido, Charge Running, Giphy Says, and other apps to check out

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

iDB's Apps of the Week column features new and unique apps and games that we think are worth checking out over the weekend.

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup includes an app that helps you improve your singing, a fitness app with a new take on running, and a new app from Giphy. And as always, we have two new games for you to check out.

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Captiona, Kite, Elk, and other apps to check out this weekend

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Looking for new apps and games this weekend? iDB has you covered. In the latest edition of our Apps of the Week roundup, we have some great selections such as an app for creating unique Instagram captions, a newsletter manager, and a sharp currency converter. And as always, we have two great new games for you to check out.

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Accessories that turn your iPhone into a universal remote control

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 2, 2020

Tired of using 3-4 different remotes to control your TV? Tired of losing your remotes? Well what if I told you that you can turn your iPhone into a universal remote control. That way you can control all of your devices, using a device that you have with you at all times.

This isn't what most would consider a crowded category, but as with all consumer electronics, some models are better than others. To help you make the right decision, we've decided to put together a list of the best gadgets for turning your iPhone into a universal remote.

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Jay-Z pulls albums from Spotify and Apple Music [update: everything back to normal]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2017

Rapper and entertainment mogul Shawn Carter, known to most as Jay-Z, has removed his albums from Apple Music and Spotify. As noted by MacRumors, all of his solo albums quietly disappeared from the two apps overnight.

It's not yet known if the decision was Carter's call, given that he owns the struggling music service Tidal, or a directive of wireless carrier Sprint, who recently purchased 33% of the company. Either way, the move is about exclusivity.

Update: Jay-Z's music is back on Apple Music. We are not sure what happened.

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Apple seeds first betas of iOS 10.3.2, tvOS 10.2.1, watchOS 3.2.2 and macOS 10.12.5

Cody Lee ∙ March 28, 2017

Apple on Tuesday seeded the first betas of iOS 10.3.2, tvOS 10.2.1, watchOS 3.2.2 and macOS 10.12.5 to developers. Registered developers can update to the new betas via each platform's respective OTA mechanism, or via the developer portal.

Todays releases come just 24 hours after Apple launched public versions of iOS 10.3 with Find My AirPods and new Apple File System, tvOS 10.2 with faster scrolling, watchOS 3.2 with Theater Mode and macOS Sierra 10.2.4 with Night Shift.

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Apple acquires powerful automation app Workflow

Cody Lee ∙ March 22, 2017

Apple has acquired the powerful automation app Workflow, reports TechCrunch. The outlet received a statement from the developers, as well as Apple, confirming the deal, but the financial details are not yet known.

For those who aren't familiar with the app, Workflow is similar to the popular IFTTT service in that it allows you to create custom recipes to perform complex tasks. The app was designed by former jailbreak developers.

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