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.

Sony’s World Cup sponsorship bars players from wearing Beats in stadiums

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2014

Watching this epic Beats ad featuring several high-profile football stars, you would've thought that Apple's newly-acquired headphone line was going to be a staple at this year's World Cup, but that hasn't been the case at all. The iconic accessory has been noticeably absent from players' necks since the tournament began last week.

And apparently Sony is behind the anomaly. The company's licensing agreement with FIFA, the governing body behind the World Cup, says that players can't 'advertise' rival hardware at games or media events...

Evidence discovered in iOS 8 suggests iPhone 6 will feature multiple new sensors

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

The incoming iPhone 6 may feature new barometer and air pressure sensors, according to a report from 9to5Mac. The site has discovered new APIs in iOS 8 that hint at the new sensors, which could be used to offer advanced data for measuring altitude, temperature and weather.

Today's discovery follows a March report from Sun Chang Xu. Citing sources familiar with Apple's plans, the analyst said the iPhone 6 would include new sensors for measuring air pressure, temperature and humidity, putting the device on par with Samsung's Galaxy S5 and others...

Waze updated with new UI, enhanced sharing features and more

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2014

Fans and users of the popular Waze GPS app will be happy to hear that the mapping client received a significant update today. The release brings about several changes, including various redesigned UI elements and a handful of useful new features.

The new UI covers the ETA screen, which now lets users easily share their drive with friends and family, and also adds a new icon in the ETA tab that shows the number of users tracking your trip. We have a full breakdown of the new features below...

The best apps for tracking your fitness activities

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Whether you're struggling to keep a New Year's resolution, or just trying to tone up before beach season, everyone could use a little extra support. Luckily, there's an app for that.

In fact, we've found several apps that help you accomplish your fitness goals by tracking your steps and workouts, tracking your food intake, and offering support and motivation.

New photos show 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models side by side

Cody Lee ∙ June 14, 2014

Some new photos of alleged iPhone 6 models surfaced this morning, courtesy of Sonny Dickson. We've seen several photos of physical mockups to date, but these by far offer the best representation of what Apple's next smartphone is expected to look like.

It's believed that the iPhone 6 will come in two display sizes: 4.7 and 5.5-inches, and today's images show the two variants sitting side by side. This not only give us a good idea of the handset's design, but it also indicates how the two models will vary in size...

Google said to be building its own health platform called Google Fit

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Hot on the heels of Apple's big HealthKit unveiling comes word that Google is building a health platform of its own. The news comes from Forbes, who says the service—dubbed Google Fit—will be announced at Google's upcoming I/O conference.

According to the report, Google Fit will closely resemble HealthKit in that it will collect and aggregate data from popular fitness trackers and health-related apps. And Google is believed to have already forged partnerships with wearable device makers...

New report claims Apple will charge $100 premium for larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

In line with a report from Jefferies' Peter Misek earlier this year, Raymond James analyst Tavis McCourt issued a claim this morning that Apple will charge a $100 premium for the larger of two iPhone 6 models expected to launch this fall.

In a research note to investors, McCourt said he is confident Apple will charge a $100 more for the 5.5-inch version of its new smartphone, citing higher-priced components and more complex production processes as reasons for the bump...

Apple partner OpenTable to be acquired by Priceline for $2.6 billion

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Priceline has announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire online restaurant reservation service and Apple content partner OpenTable. The travel site will be doling out $103 per share in the all cash transaction, which is said to be worth $2.6 billion.

For those unfamiliar with it, OpenTable facilitates restaurant reservations through its website and mobile apps. Apple has long been a proponent of the service, which it reaffirmed in 2012 by integrating it into its digital assistant Siri, as part of the year's iOS 6 update...

Customer info accessed by third-party unlocking service in AT&T security breach

Cody Lee ∙ June 13, 2014

AT&T has confirmed with ITWorld that it has suffered a security breach where customer information was accessed. The breach actually occurred back in April, but was only disclosed this week by the company in a filing with California regulators.

According to the report, personal information—including social security numbers and call records—was accessed for an unknown number of customers in the breach. It's believed the attack was part of an effort to obtain unlock codes from the carrier...

Tweetbot 3 for iPhone updated with support for viewing/posting multiple images

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

The Tapbots have updated their popular Tweetbot 3 app for iPhone this morning. The update brings the Twitter client to version 3.4, and brings about a handful of new features, including support for multiple image viewing/posting, and more.

Users can now view and post multiple images from within Tweetbot 3, although Tapbots cautions that multiple images won't show up in search or streaming timelines until Twitter enables support. We have the full change log after the break...

Apple launches new ‘Browse by Category’ section in App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple has introduced a new section in the App Store entitled 'Browse by Category.' Available in the Featured section of both the iOS and desktop versions of the App Store, the new area makes it easier for users to discover and browse app categories.

While users have long been able to browse apps by category, the past experience was fairly truncated: users had to click on the Categories label in the upper left hand corner and scroll through a drop-down menu. This way is far more visually appealing...

Facebook Messenger updated with Instant Video Sending and Big Likes

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Facebook has posted an update for its iOS Messenger client this morning, bringing the app to version 6.0. The release includes the usual bug fixes and improvements, as well as two new features in 'Instant Video Sending' and 'Big Likes.'

Both new features are exactly what they sound like. Instant Video Sending allows users to shoot and play 15-second video messages from the camera, right in the app, and a Big Like is essentially a larger thumbs up for things you really like...