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.

Popular PC game ‘Faster Than Light’ landing on iPad next week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Good news for gamers this afternoon, as it's been announced that the popular PC/Mac title Faster Than Light will be making its way to the iPad next week. The developers announced the release date via the official FTL Twitter account, and said it will be accompanied by a free desktop content expansion pack.

For those who are unfamiliar with FTL, it's a top-down, real-time strategy game that has players managing a crew and its faster-than-light spacecraft as it flies through multiple galaxy systems. In it, you'll face off against rebel and other hostile forces, recruit new crew members and ensure your ship's safety...

Amazon said to be launching its set-top box next week

Cody Lee ∙ March 27, 2014

Following reports from last week that Amazon is planning to launch its long-awaited Apple TV competitor in next month, Amazon has sent out invites for a media event scheduled for April 2nd. The invitations ask that reporters join the company for an 'update' on its video business.

And according to a new report from Recode, the e-commerce giant is going to use the event to unveil a new set-top box device. Citing sources familiar with Amazon's plans, the outlet says the device will be capable of streaming media to TV sets, competing directly with Apple and Roku...

Nikkei: Apple to launch 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone as early as September

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Japanese news outlet Nikkei threw its weight behind a popular rumor today, reporting that Apple's next-gen iPhone will come in both 4.7- and 5.5-inch models. The theory that the company is working on two new larger-sized handsets has been reiterated several times over the past 6 months.

Citing sources within Apple's supply chain, Nikkei says that manufacturers have already begun making components for the new smartphones, like fingerprint sensors and chips for liquid-crystal drivers, and Sharp, Japan Display and LG will begin mass-producing their panels as early as April...

Classic action-adventure game ‘Little Big Adventure’ lands on iOS

Cody Lee ∙ March 27, 2014

Good news for 90's gamers this morning as the classic action-adventure game 'Little Big Adventure' is now available in the App Store. This means you can download the title, which first launched on the PC back in 1994, to your iPhone or iPad and let the nostalgia kick in.

For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Little Big Adventure is considered a real-time pseudo-3D isometric game. You play as Twinsen, a young hero living on Citadel Island on a world ruled by the evil dictator Dr. FunFrock, who is charged with protecting his planet...

Russian government dumps iPads for Samsung tablets

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Russia's telecoms minister Nikolai Nikiforov told news agencies yesterday that government officials for the country recently traded in their iPads for Samsung tablets. Reporters spotted the new devices at a cabinet meeting, and the minister explained that the changeover was due to security concerns.

"Some of the information at government meetings is confidential in nature," he said, "and these devices fully meet these demands and have gone through the strictest system of certification." And the timing of the switch is certainly interesting, considering what's going on at the Russia/Ukraine border...

New photos surface of Apple’s Arizona sapphire plant, possible expansion rumored

Cody Lee ∙ March 27, 2014

According to a new report from AppleInsider, contractors are working around the clock and on weekends to finish Apple's new sapphire plant in Mesa, Arizona. The site says that work on the facility is progressing, and that the company may be expanding the project with an additional building.

Word that the iPad-maker was teaming up with GT Advanced to build a sapphire production plant first came in November of last year, and it has since remained a popular topic. The Cupertino firm is believed to be using the plant to manufacture components for yet-to-be announced products...

Survey finds 33% of iPhone owners would pay an extra $100 for bigger display

Cody Lee ∙ March 27, 2014

We don't really know anything about Apple's plans for the next-gen iPhone, but the consensus seems to be that it will feature a larger display. As Samsung and other rivals continue to gain marketshare with their 5-inch+ handsets, it's believed that Apple cannot continue to avoid the so-called 'phablet' space.

And analysts couldn't be happier. Why? Well just look at this new survey data published by Raymond James analyst Tavis McCourt. According to the data, one-third of American iPhone owners would be willing to pay an extra $100 for Apple's next smartphone if it featured a larger display than its predecessor...

iH8sn0w confirms his iPhone 4s is jailbroken on iOS 7.1

Cody Lee ∙ March 27, 2014

Despite our warnings, a number of folks have updated their devices to iOS 7.1 within the last few weeks, and they've quickly learned that the update kills the iOS 7 jailbreak. Many have asked us if we think evasi0n7 will be updated to work with the new firmware, but it doesn't seem very likely.

That doesn't mean it's impossible though. Last week, winocm posted a video of his fully jailbroken iPhone 4 running iOS 7.1, and yesterday iH8sn0w one-up him. Amidst a flurry of responses to questions regarding the state of the jailbreak, the hacker confirmed his iPhone 4s is jailbroken on 7.1...

Glitch discovered in iOS 7.1 lets you hide stock apps

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 7, 2022

Folks who updated to iOS 7.1 earlier this month may be interested in this newly-discovered glitch that allows you to hide stock iOS apps. It's very similar to last year's Newsstand glitch, in that it involves a multi-step process and doesn't [obviously] require a jailbreak.

The glitch is present on both iPhones and iPads, and is relatively easy to exploit. All you have to do, essentially, is create a folder full of apps you wish to hide, drop it in another folder, and then remove it. Interested? Keep reading for a full step-by-step video tutorial...

Study shows mobile game developers are seeing success with TV ads

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

With more and more users moving to smartphones these days, some major mobile game publishers have taken their advertising business to television in an effort to cast a wider net. Chances are you've seen one of these commercials within the past month, including this one for Clash of Clans.

And you're probably going to start seeing a lot more of them, because apparently they're working. According to new data from analytics firm App Annie, some mobile game developers are seeing significant boosts in App Store and Google Play Store rankings for their titles following TV campaigns...

Hacked T-Mobile carrier update for iPhone offers several features and improvements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Folks with an iPhone on T-Mobile might be interested to hear that there’s a new hacked carrier update available that promises a number of enhancements. It was created by the same folks who brought us that slew of carrier update hacks for Sprint, Verizon and AT&T iPhone models last summer.

This time around, the developers say that the modded update includes a variety of things like boosted data speeds and signal reception (depending on your location). It also adds several native T-Mobile features to your iPhone like the ability to view account balance, texts sent and other usage info...

BlackBerry sues SVP of software to stay after being hired away by Apple

Cody Lee ∙ March 26, 2014

You don't hear this everyday: BlackBerry has filed a lawsuit against its own SVP of software following his letter of resignation in December of last year. The company claims that Sebastien Marineau-Mes's attempt to leave for a new 'VP of Core OS' position at Apple was a violation of his employment contract.

According to a ruling from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Marineau-Mes is being sued over the breach of contract terms that stipulated he must provide at least six months notice before leaving BlackBerry. So since he submitted his resignation in December, the court says he must stay through June...