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.

Shipping times improve for select iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models

Cody Lee ∙ November 21, 2014

With the all-important Black Friday shopping weekend just around the corner, Apple continues to improve supply of the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Shipping estimates for select models of the handsets have recently ameliorated for Apple's US online store and in other countries.

Both 64GB and 128GB iPhone 6 models, as well as the 16GB iPhone 6 Plus, are now showing ship dates 7 to 10 days out for all colors across all major US carriers. And the 16GB iPhone 6 is now shipping in 5 to 7 days, with Personal Pickup available at a number of Apple Stores.

Disney Store app updated with support for Apple Pay

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The Disney Store app has received an update, bringing it to version 3.2.1. Just in time for the holidays, the update includes support for Apple Pay, allowing iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users to pay for their purchases using Apple's new payment method.

While in-app Apple Pay is supported by the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, it doesn't appear the iPad version of the Disney Store app takes advantage of it yet. It also looks like folks utilizing Apple Pay will still have to enter all of their shipping info.

EA Mobile teases upcoming game “Need for Speed No Limits”

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

EA Mobile has posted a new teaser trailer for its upcoming game "Need for Speed No Limits." The game is being built by Firemonkeys, the combined teams of Firemint and IronMonkey Studios, who both have racing backgrounds.

The video features professional rally driver Ken Block, of the Hoonigan Racing Division, playing the new Need for Speed on his iPhone 6. The gameplay footage shown is fairly impressive, flaunting sharp graphics and intense gameplay.

Best Buy launches pre-Black Friday sale with discounts on iPods and iPads

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Joining Walmart and other retailers looking to get a head start on next week's Black Friday festivities, Best Buy today began offering limited-time deals on a number of products. Among those products is a first generation iPad Air, and fifth-gen iPod touch, both of which have been significantly discounted.

For the next three days, Best Buy is taking between $80 and $100 off all iPad Air models—the discount depends on the model you buy. While the original Air is more than a year old now, it still features a newer hardware design and packs plenty of power. The 16GB Wi-Fi-only model is a steal at just $319.

Apple seeds first OS X 10.10.2 beta to developers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple has seeded the first beta of OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 this afternoon. The update, labeled build 14C68k, is available through the Update tab in the Mac App Store and the Dev Center for all registered Mac developers.

Today’s release comes just a few days after Apple officially launched 10.10.1 to the public, which featured bug fixes and Wi-Fi improvements—although some users are still complaining of Wi-Fi issues after updating.

Billboard to begin incorporating streaming services in top 200 chart

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

On Wednesday, December 3, Billboard says it will premiere its biggest upgrade to its 200 chart in more than 23 years. The chart, which currently tracks the top 200 albums of the week by sales, will be the first to include on-demand streaming and digital track sales.

To do this, the chart will incorporate streaming service data measured by Nielsen Entertainment by way of a new algorithm. Billboard says it's the "most substantial methodology update since 1991," when Billboard began using point-of-sale data to measure album sales.

Telltale posts first trailer of upcoming ‘Game of Thrones’ game

Cody Lee ∙ November 20, 2014

After dropping some details regarding its upcoming 'Game of Thrones' game last week, Telltale Games today released its first trailer. The video sets the stage for what could be Telltale's biggest releases, given how popular HBO's GOT franchise has become.

The game will tell the story of the House Forrester, a noble family from the north of Westerns, loyal to the Starks Winterfell. Players will take on the role of different members of the Forrester household, and determine their fates. Here's the new trailer.

Apple adds new data providers to enhance Maps business listings

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 3, 2016

Apple has added 10 new companies to the list of data providers for its Maps app, according to Apple Maps Marketing. In a post, first spotted by 9to5Mac, the site says it was given the information by the Cupertino company itself in response to an inquiry.

The inquiry was in regards to submitting one of its clients with a few hundred locations to Apple Maps Connect. Apple replied, saying it's currently only accepting submissions from businesses with 1,000+ locations, but it could reach out to several firms.

Sony drops Steve Jobs biopic, Universal rumored to take over

Cody Lee ∙ November 19, 2014

Sony Pictures has dropped the highly-anticipated Steve Jobs biopic penned by Aaron Sorkin, according to Deadline. The outlet reports tonight that Sony has put the film in turnaround—meaning that another studio can purchase the movie.

It sounds like that studio is going to be Universal. Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr says he is hearing that the Comcast subsidiary is nearing an agreement, and the deal could close by tomorrow, meaning the project should lose little momentum.

New ‘Sync Solver’ app sends Fitbit data to Apple’s Health app

Cody Lee ∙ November 19, 2014

In October, Fitbit announced that it had no plans of integrating its activity trackers or software with Apple's Health app. This means that if you have a Fitbit Flex or other device, the data it gathers will not be shared with Health, crippling its attempt to be your fitness data dashboard.

But a new app launched this week in the App Store that aims to change this. It's called Sync Solver, and it allows Fitbit wearers to track all of the important data collected by their wearables within the Health app, without ever having to use the standalone, dedicated Fitbit application.

Pocket updated with support for 1Password extension, Dynamic Type and more

Cody Lee ∙ November 19, 2014

Popular read-it-later service Pocket pushed out a notable update for its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 5.6.2. The update includes a number of improvements, including support for Dynamic Type and the 1Password extension.

The addition of Dynamic Type support means that text in Pocket will now reflect whatever you have set as your system font size preference. And of course 1Password extension support means users can now login to Pocket with Touch ID.

Google buys iOS app prototyping startup RelativeWave, makes Mac app free

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Google has acquired RelativeWave, the team responsible for the popular iOS app prototyping software Form. Form is available for Mac and iOS, and allows designers and developers to create rich interactive app prototypes and run them on their iPhone or iPad.

In a note on its website today, RelativeWave announced that they would be joining Google to continue their work on the software, saying they "want to get Form in the hands of as many people as possible, and this is [their] first step in accomplishing that goal."