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.

T-Mobile to begin throttling select unlimited LTE customers too

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

It looks like Verizon isn't the only carrier planning to throttle select unlimited LTE customers in the near future. A leaked internal memo surfaced today, confirming that T-Mobile will also begin slowing down the connections of some of its subscribers later this month.

According to the memo, throttling will only apply to heavy data users that are using their connection for peer-to-peer file sharing and unapproved tethering. Like Verizon, the carrier claims the move is part of a larger effort to improve its overall network performance...

Mailbox updated with new spam options, Passbook support and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Mailbox has updated its popular iOS email client this afternoon, bringing the app to version 2.1. The update is fairly significant, as it adds new spam options, Passbook support, and support for several new languages.

With 2.1, it's now possible to print your emails, mark them as spam or unread, and favorite them by clicking on the three little dots at the top of a thread view. You can also now add items directly to the Passbook app...

Samsung unveils new Galaxy Alpha smartphone with metal frame

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Samsung today took the wraps off a new smartphone for its Galaxy line called the 'Galaxy Alpha.' The company says the handset encapsulates its new design approach, featuring a "carefully constructed" compact body with a metal frame and a solid finish.

In terms of specs, there isn't anything too crazy under the hood. The Alpha sports a 4.7” HD Super AMOLED display, an octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a 12MP rear camera. There's also a fingerprint scanner on board, and a host of other sensors...

Good deal: 95% off Mac app bundle featuring djay, Keyboard Maestro and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Folks in the market for some awesome Mac apps may want to check out this new promotion from StackSocial. For a limited time the deal site is offering 8 Mac applications and, for the first 5,000 buyers, a bonus developer eCourse for up to 95% off their original retail prices.

The bundle features popular apps like djay, the award-winning DJ software, Keyboard Maestro, a popular productivity app for creating keyboard shortcuts, and Apple Design Award-winner Cinemagraph Pro. Keep reading for a full breakdown of the software and other details...

Apple releases diversity report: 55% of US employees are white, 70% male

Cody Lee ∙ August 12, 2014

As promised, Apple has released a report on the diversity of its workforce today. The iPad maker is the latest tech firm to post such data in response to the growing debate on whether or not women and minorities are underrepresented in Silicon Valley.

Accompanying Apple's report is a letter from Tim Cook, who says he's not happy with the numbers, but says the company is making progress. Of its employees here in the US, 55% are white, and around the world, 7 out of every 10 of its employees are male...

Apple honors Robin Williams with dedicated iTunes Store section

Cody Lee ∙ August 12, 2014

Apple has created a dedicated section in its iTunes Store entitled 'Remembering Robin Williams.' The addition follows yesterday's tragic news of the actor's passing, and it features links to his popular movies, TV series and stand-up comedy routines.

In addition to the media, the section also includes a photo of Mr. Williams and a brief paragraph on his career and philanthropical achievements, calling him "one of the most beloved and unforgettable performers in the history of show business."

Twitter announces beta test of new ‘Promoted Video’ ads

Cody Lee ∙ August 12, 2014

Twitter has announced today that it is moving forward with its 'Promoted Video' ad project. The site has been testing Twitter Video Cards for several months now, and the results show that Tweets containing native video generate better engagement and more video views than other types of ads.

Thus, the company made it official today, saying that it's going to be performing a public beta test of Promoted Video on Twitter. The goal of the test is to make it easier for brands to upload and distribute video on the social network, and then of course to measure the reach and effectiveness of it all...

California smartphone ‘kill switch’ bill passes state legislature

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 26, 2023

Earlier this year, California Senator Mark Leno introduced a new bill that would require cellphone makers to install 'kill switches' in all of their handsets, rendering them inoperable when stolen. The move comes as smartphone thefts continue to rise in major US cities.

Unsurprisingly, Leno's bill won Senate approval by a vote of 27-8 today, meaning that it's just one step away from becoming law in the state of California. All it needs now is Governor Jerry Brown's signature, and device manufacturers will have essentially a year to comply...

Apple suppliers beginning production of new iPads with anti-reflection coating

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Bloomberg is out with a new report this afternoon regarding Apple's new iPads. The outlet claims that the company's suppliers have already begun producing the new tablets, which are expected to debut towards the end of this quarter or early next.

According to their sources, mass production of the full 9.7-inch iPad is already under way, and production for the new iPad mini is right behind it. Additionally, the tablets will evidently feature new anti-reflective coating, making them easier to read...

Apple debuts two new stories for its ‘Your Verse’ iPad campaign

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple has posted two new stories to its ongoing ‘Your Verse’ iPad campaign this weekend: one featuring electropop group Yaoband, and one with Jason Hall, the founder of the Slow Roll biking program in Detroit.

Like previous Your Verse spots, the stories answer the question posed in Apple’s ‘What Will Your Verse Be' advert. The running theme is that the iPad can be used for much more than gaming and consuming media...

Pangu 1.2 jailbreak is out with AFC2, bug fixes, and more

Cody Lee ∙ August 9, 2014

The Pangu team has released an update to their jailbreak tool today. Pangu 1.2 is out now for both Windows and Mac, and it includes a handful of bug fixes and improvements that make the jailbreaking process a little easier.

Among the fixes are a resolution for an ongoing boot loop bug that some iPhone 4/4s users are experiencing, and patches for sandbox log and task_for_pid issues. The new Pangu also brings support for afc2...

Microsoft releases SNIPP3T, a new app for tracking celebrity news

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

Microsoft has released a new app for the iPhone today called SNIPP3T. It describes the software as a 'Celebrity News' app, that aggregates all of the latest gossip on your favorite Hollywood stars from around the web into one convenient stream.

The app is actually really well designed, and as you can imagine, it's heavily tied into Microsoft's Bing search engine. Fans can read recent news articles on celebrities, subscribe to their news streams, and view curated Profile pages for more info...