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.

Leonardo DiCaprio out, director Danny Boyle in for Sony’s Steve Jobs biopic

Cody Lee ∙ October 2, 2014

Oscar-nominated actor Leonardo DiCaprio has withdrawn from negotiations to play Steve Jobs in Sony's upcoming movie on the Apple founder, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The actor was slated to begin work on the film after wrapping up The Revenant, but he has instead decided to take an extended hiatus.

With DiCaprio out, a number of other high profile names have come back into the mix. THR says that top talent including Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper are all on Sony's wish list, but it adds that Affleck seems unlikely given he just signed on to a film with a similar production schedule.

Halfbrick Studios launches completely redesigned Fruit Ninja game

Cody Lee ∙ October 2, 2014

Halfbrick Studios has released today what it is calling the "biggest update ever" to Fruit Ninja. The popular game, which has garnered nearly 700k reviews on the App Store, has been redesigned from the ground up with new content, gameplay elements and more.

At its core, most of the mechanics are still the same—the game is still about slicing fruit as quickly and efficiently as possible. But there are a lot of additions, such as new experience and currency systems, which are used to buy various upgrades and power ups.

Apple names Steve Dowling interim PR chief

Cody Lee ∙ October 2, 2014

Apple has named Steve Dowling as its new head of public relations, reports Recode. Citing sources close to the company, the outlet says that after 6 months of searching for a replacement for Katie Cotton, Tim Cook offered Dowling the position last week and he accepted.

Dowling’s appointment is temporary as of right now, and Apple will continue to evaluate high profile candidates as they come up. But Recode points out that since Cook selected the long-term veteran himself to lead Apple's PR team, there's a good chance he could stay put.

iOS 8 causing Bluetooth issues for some users

Cody Lee ∙ October 1, 2014

If you're having problems with Bluetooth in iOS 8, you're not alone. A number of users are reporting Bluetooth connection bugs after updating to the firmware, or purchasing a new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus—particularly when trying to pair their handsets to their vehicles.

Looking at this lengthy thread on Apple.com, and this one in the MacRumors forums, the issues appear to be fairly widespread. Within the last two weeks, users have complained of hitches including not being able to pair their devices at all, and random disconnects.

Bleacher Buddy helps you find what channel the game is on

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Bleacher Buddy is an iPhone app built to answer the age-old question: "what channel is the game on?" It's not a new app by any means, but I came across it for the first time today, and with the fall sports season now in full swing, I figured it'd be pertinent to mention it.

Using Bleacher Buddy is as easy as you'd expect it to be. You start off by giving it your zip code, and then selecting your satellite or cable TV provider. Once that's done, tell the app what sport, or specific game, you want to watch, and it will tell you which channel to turn to.

Verizon says it won’t throttle LTE for unlimited data customers after all

Cody Lee ∙ October 1, 2014

It looks like Verizon Wireless won't be throttling the LTE speeds of remaining unlimited data customers after all. In a statement to The Verge this afternoon, the carrier says it has "decided not to move forward with the planned implementation of network optimization for 4G LTE customers on unlimited plans."

Verizon announced its plan to throttle LTE for select unlimited data customers in July, as part of its 'network optimization' strategy. The decision was met with a large amount of criticism from consumers, as well as FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who demanded further explanation for the move from the carrier.

Apple Pay reportedly launching alongside iOS 8.1 on October 20

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple is planning to debut Apple Pay on the third Monday of the month, reports Bank Innovation. The outlet claims that according to "multiple sources close to Apple," the mobile payment service is scheduled to launch on October 20, alongside iOS 8.1.

On Monday, Apple released the first beta of iOS 8.1 to developers, and hidden settings pertaining to Apple Pay were discovered within the firmware. Bank Innovation says it has learned that this code is there so Apple can test Apple Pay prior to launch.

Modern Combat 5 updated with support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Modern Combat 5, meet iPhone 6. Gameloft has just posted an update for the latest edition of its popular first-person shooter franchise, Modern Combat, with support for the larger displays found in Apple's new 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch handsets.

Even casual gamers will immediately notice the difference after updating. Since Modern Combat 5 now supports the higher resolutions of the larger displays, it no longer has to upscale images, meaning graphics appear much cleaner and sharper.

PayPal’s deal with Samsung ruined its chances of being an Apple Pay partner

Cody Lee ∙ September 30, 2014

Talks between Apple and PayPal regarding Apple Pay partnership soured following PayPal's deal with Samsung, reports Bank Innovation. The outlet says that the two sides began negotiations early on in Apple Pay's development, but when PayPal partnered with Samsung for Galaxy S5 payments, Apple backed out.

According to the report, PayPal’s now-former president David Marcus was categorically against the Samsung deal, knowing that it would jeopardize PayPal’s relationship with Apple. But apparently eBay CEO John Donahoe didn't agree with the executive, and essentially forced the company into the partnership.

Pebble smartwatches get new fitness features, cheaper prices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Pebble today announced that it is releasing an update for all of its Pebble and Pebble Steel smartwatches to add new features. The two devices are now capable of tracking a wearer's footsteps and sleep activity in the background, fulfilling a long time request by users.

Pebble says that these new capabilities won't have a major impact on battery life, and added that it is extending its fitness partnerships with new apps from Jawbone and Swim.com. The team is also opening up its activity tracking features to other 3rd party developers.

Apple to announce fourth quarter earnings on October 20

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 11, 2018

Apple on Tuesday updated its Investor Relations webpage to confirm that it will be announcing its financial earnings for its fourth fiscal quarter (or third calendar quarter) of 2014 this month. The earnings statement will be released at 1:30 PM PST on October 20, with a conference call scheduled for 2 PM.

This earnings report will cover the three month period from July through September, giving us our first real glimpse at how Apple's new handsets are selling. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were unveiled at a media event this month, and launched in several countries on September 19 with record-breaking figures.

Apple seeds OS X Yosemite GM candidate 1.0 to developers, Public Beta 4

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 11, 2018

Apple has today seeded Golden Master candidate 1.0 of OS X Yosemite. The update, which arrives as Build 14A379a, can be downloaded either through the Updates tab in the Mac App Store, or through Apple's Mac Dev Center by registered developers.

This marks the ninth and [likely] final Developer Preview of Yosemite as Apple prepares to officially release the software to the public next month. Introduced in June, OS X Yosemite brings about new UI design and several other improvements for Macs.