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.

This ‘TechDesk’ features built-in docks for your iPhone and iPad

Cody Lee ∙ March 10, 2014

Folks in the market for a new desk may want to check out this new bamboo-topped TechDesk. It looks a bit odd at first, but the holes, cup holders and other cutouts were designed to keep you, your laptop and all of your iOS devices organized and accessible.

The holes you see in the middle of the desk are actually air vents for keeping your MacBook (or other notebook) running cool. There's also a built-in mouse pad, slots for your coffee cup and magazines, and then multiple docks for your iPhones and iPads...

New concept takes realistic approach in visualizing next iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ March 10, 2014

In a world where iPhone concepts typically feature radical case designs and edge-to-edge displays, Sam Beckett's new 'iPhone Air' concept stands out. It's not flashy, it's not paper-thin, it's just an honest attempt to visualize what Apple's next smartphone could look like.

The handset bears an obvious resemblance to previous iPhones, but the classic design still looks great stretched out across the larger body. In line with recent rumors, Beckett has given his concept a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080, and a beefy ppi of 468...

BlackBerry CEO calls iPhone users ‘wall huggers’ due to poor battery life

Cody Lee ∙ March 9, 2014

BlackBerry's newly appointed CEO John Chen isn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers. Last month he penned an open letter regarding T-Mobile's 'ill-conceived' iPhone promotion, and this past week he went after the iPhone users themselves.

Speaking at the Oasis Montgomery conference, Chen was asked for his thoughts on the surging popularity of the iPhone. And his response was 'I call you guys wall huggers,' suggesting the handset is unable to last a full day on a single charge...

T-Mobile tweaks Simple Choice plans with more data, international texting

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

T-Mobile announced this weekend that it would be making some changes to its existing Simple Choice plans. All of the plan options will now include more data and unlimited international texting from the US, in addition to unlimited domestic talk, text and data.

Pricing tiers still start at $50 per month, except now you get a full 1GB of LTE data at this price, instead of just 500MB. And it goes on from there. You now get 3GB of unthrottled LTE data for $60 per month, instead of 2.5GB, and you get 5GB for $70 per month...

Updated iTunes Festival channel added to Apple TV for SXSW

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Following the release of an updated iTunes Festival app for iOS on Thursday, Apple has rolled out a new TV channel for its Apple TV. For us, the icon is showing up in the second row of icons, right in the middle, so it's almost impossible to miss.

Clicking on the icon takes you to the Festival channel, where you can get the low-down on all of the major acts that are going to be playing at Apple's SXSW event this week. You can also view their concert dates and listen to samples of their music...

‘Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame’ named IGN’s Free Game of the Month

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 20, 2018

Good news gamers, IGN has named Ubisoft's 'Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame' its Free Game of the Month. This is one of the first times that the game, which normally retails for $2.99, has ever been made available at no cost.

For those unfamiliar with the title, Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame originally landed in the App Store in 2013. It's the follow up to Ubisoft's Prince of Persia Classic remake with new controls, a new combat system and more...

Walmart drops price of 16GB iPhone 5s down to $119, 5c to $29

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 9, 2017

Not to be outdone by Best Buy, Walmart has launched a new iPhone promotion this week. The national retailer can now beat the electronics dealer in price on the entry level models of both the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c by up to $30.

The sale knocks the 16GB iPhone 5s down to $119, and its 5c counterpart down to just $29. Obviously, both of these prices require that you sign a two-year contract with a carrier, but otherwise there are no gift card or trade-in stipulations...

AT&T’s LTE-Advanced network now live in Chicago

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Folks living in and around Chicago will be happy to hear that AT&T has souped up its network in the Windy City. Using an LTE-Advanced technology called 'carrier aggregation,' the company has bonded two 4G networks together in the area resulting in a big boost in performance.

So essentially, AT&T is taking two, single one-way highways and merging them into one, single two-way highway, allowing for more bandwidth and theoretical download speeds of up to 110 Mbps. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of devices that support the beefier network...

Samsung launches ad-free streaming radio service ‘Milk Music’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 2, 2016

In a somewhat surprising move, Samsung announced today a new streaming radio service dubbed 'Milk Music.' The service is a lot like Apple's iTunes Radio in that music is chosen based on a user's preferences, and it's platform-specific—it's only available to Galaxy device owners.

The service is powered by Slacker Radio, which would explain the absence of rumors that Samsung was working on such a project, and there are no ads. As for the app, it offers the usual features including the ability to save songs for offline listening and create custom radio stations...

Pebble gains official Evernote, eBay and Time Warner apps

Cody Lee ∙ March 7, 2014

Last month, Pebble launched its dedicated smartwatch app store with over 1,000 apps and watch faces. Few of the apps were noteworthy, but the company promised that it was working on landing titles from high profile developers.

And today it made good on that promise, as its launched 3 new smartwatch apps from well-known tech giants. Pebble owners can now access their eBay and Evernote accounts, as well as their TWC equipment, right from their wrists...

Xbox One SmartGlass app updated with new UI, dedicated game clip hub

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Good news Xbox One owners, Microsoft has posted an update to its iOS SmartGlass client for the console this morning, bringing the app to version 2.3. The update includes a number of improvements, as well as a dedicated hub for clips you make with Game DVR.

The dedicated hub for Game DVR clips is a nice addition, as it allows you to view all of your gameplay clips in one spot. Want to show a friend that sweet kill you had in Call of Duty last night, or show them that awesome volley you had in FIFA? It's all right there...

Video of Tim Cook’s meeting with Israeli PM offers brief look inside Apple HQ

Cody Lee ∙ March 7, 2014

Earlier this week we noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be touring the United States for a few days, and that one of his planned stops in the country would be at Apple's Cupertino, CA campus for a luncheon with Tim Cook.

Well that meeting took place on Wednesday, as evidenced by a newly uploaded video clip. It's not known exactly what the pair discussed, but the video itself is rather interesting as it offers a brief look inside the walls of Apple's usually-secret headquarters...