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.

Nintendo’s first mobile app to be for ‘Mario Kart TV’ web service

Cody Lee ∙ May 9, 2014

Nintendo continues to stand against the idea of porting its popular games to iOS or Android, but it's not writing off mobile completely. Earlier this year, the company confirmed it was working on 'service apps,' which would serve as a bridge to bring more customers over to its console platform.

And this week, we get a good idea of what at least one of those apps could look like. During its financial results briefing yesterday, Nintendo announced that it's planning to release an app for Mario Kart TV—a web service that allows players to access and share videos captured from Mario Kart 8...

New report claims Apple could launch 4.7-inch iPhone 6 as early as August

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Those excited for Apple's next smartphone may not have to wait as long as originally thought to get their hands on one. Reuters passes along a new report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News this morning which claims that the iPhone 6 could be just three months away.

Citing anonymous sources in Apple's supply chain, the Daily News says that the 4.7-inch model of the new iPhone will reach stores as soon as August. The 5.5-inch model, the report says, will land a month later in September—same as the iPhone 5s and the 5 before it...

Beats’ Jimmy Iovine in talks to join Apple as ‘special adviser’ to Tim Cook

Cody Lee ∙ May 8, 2014

Following up news this afternoon that Apple is in serious talks to acquire Beats, the New York Post is reporting that co-founder Jimmy Iovine may soon be joining the company. The Post says Iovine would serve as a 'special adviser,' and would report to Tim Cook on 'creative matters.'

Jimmy Iovine is a record and movie producer, as well as a very successful entrepreneur. He co-founded Interscope Records in the early 90's, which later became part of the Universal Music Group, and then Beats in 2006, which again is being rumored to soon be bought out by Apple...

Belkin’s new QODE Thin Type keyboard case for iPad Air now available

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Good news for iPad Air owners this afternoon. Belkin's QODE Thin Type keyboard, which was first announced last October, is now available for Apple's newest full-sized tablet. The QODE joins the Logitech Ultrathin and just a handful of others in the ultra-slim iPad keyboard space.

The Thin Type weighs in at just over 12 ounces, lighter than the iPad Air itself, and it's less than 4mm thick. It attaches to the tablet via secure-hold magnets, features Belkin’s exclusive TruType technology with well-spaced, responsive keys and lasts around 79 hours on a single charge...

San Francisco museum to honor Jony Ive with lifetime achievement award

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

According to a new report by MediaBistro, Jony Ive will be presented with this year's Bay Area Treasure Award on October 30. The award is granted annually by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in recognition of artists and creative leaders who have redefined visual art.

Ive will be the 15th recipient of the award, joining the likes of Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas and famed landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. And he's being honored for his long history of designing innovative products for Apple, which include the iMac, iPhone and iPad...

Apple retakes top spot in new J.D. Power tablet customer satisfaction survey

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Apple reclaimed its top spot in J.D. Power's latest US tablet customer satisfaction study this week after falling to Samsung in November. You might recall that the results of the report were fairly controversial, as the iPad beat the Galaxy Tab in 4 out of 5 categories and somehow still lost.

But not this time. It was close again, but Apple managed to retake #1, earning a 5-star rating and a score of 830 (out of a possible 1,000). Samsung finished in second place with a 3-star rating and a score of 822, and Asus came in third place, also with a 3-star rating, and a score of 820...

Ryan Petrich releases jailbreak tweak to patch iOS 7 Mail encryption bug

Cody Lee ∙ May 7, 2014

Earlier this week, word got out that there's a gap in security in iOS. Security researcher Andreas Kurtz discovered that all versions of iOS 7.1, and at least iOS 7.0.4, don't encrypt email attachments.

Kurtz says that he has informed Apple of the bug, and they are working on a fix, but there's no word when it will be available. Fortunately, the jailbreak community has a much faster response time...

Apple seeds OS X 10.9.3 build 13D61 to developers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple has seeded another beta for OS X 10.9.3 to registered Mac developers this afternoon. The update comes just one week after the eighth beta was released, which brought about few notable changes.

The new build is available to developers via an update in the Mac App Store or as a download on Apple’s online developer center. It does not, however, appear to be out in Apple’s new Beta Seed program yet…

United Airlines app updated with new in-flight streaming video service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Back in March, we told you that United Airlines was on the verge of launching a new in-flight movie service for iOS users. The service would allow iPhone and iPad owners to watch over 150 movies and 200 TV shows on their devices for free.

The program launched last month on select aircraft, and today the official United Airlines app was updated to support it. With the app installed, users on compatible planes will be able to access free media while connected to Wi-Fi in-flight...

Baseball sim ‘MLB Perfect Inning’ now available in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2018

Baseball fans looking for a good sim on iOS will be happy to hear that one just landed in the App Store. It's called 'MLB Perfect Inning,' by Gamevil, and it's a console-quality simulator that's been fully-licensed by Major League Baseball.

The game is about as full-featured as sports titles can get. You can draft, train and trade your favorite players to build the ultimate roster, and then take your team from batting practice to the post season. Keep reading for a full overview...

Ubisoft bringing popular ‘Anno’ game series to iPad

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 27, 2017

Good news for all of you late-90's/early-2000 gamers out there. Ubisoft announced yesterday that it is working on bringing Anno, the popular PC building series, to iOS. The game is called 'Anno: Build an Empire,' and is being built exclusively for the iPad.

For those unfamiliar with Anno, it's similar to Sim City and other real time strategy/resource management games. But it stood out amongst the other titles thanks to its detailed and lively graphics, straight-forward gameplay and addictive free-to-play mode...

Pegatron receives orders for 4.7-inch iPhone 6 ahead of fall launch

Cody Lee ∙ May 7, 2014

According to a new report, Pegatron has received orders from the Cupertino company to start production on the iPhone 6. Taiwan's Industrial and Commercial Times says that the supplier has been tasked with producing around 15% of all units of the upcoming 4.7-inch handset.

The news matches up with previous chatter, which claimed that Apple would be splitting up iPhone 6 orders between Foxconn and Pegatron. It was initially believed, however, that the split would be somewhere around 50-50, so it's unclear what—if anything—has changed...