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 chief: Apple is ‘missing out’ by updating iPhone just once per year

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Apple is 'missing' out by only updating its iPhone once per year, according to Pierre Perron. In an interview at Mobile World Congress this week, Sony's mobile chief and European president offered up some friendly advice to the Cupertino company.

Essentially, Perron feels that because mobile technology advances so fast, a new handset can feel outdated after just a few months. So in order for Apple to meet consumer demand for cutting edge tech, it must update its iPhone hardware more frequently...

NBA updates Game Time app with videos of classic games

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

With football season over and baseball season still a month away, the US sports world has turned its attention to basketball. The regular NBA season is winding down and a lengthy stretch of playoff games is about to begin.

With that in mind, it's nice to see that the League continues to better its Game Time app. Following a big iOS 7 makeover and All-Star weekend refresh, the app has been updated today with videos of classic games and highlights...

Warner Bros. launches new ‘Legends of Chima Online’ Lego game for iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2018

Warner Bros. has released a new Lego game for iOS this morning called the 'Legends of Chima Online.' The studio has had staggering success with the Lego franchise—it even has a #1 movie out right now—so honestly, why wouldn't it continue to capitalize on it?

As the name suggests, Legends of Chima is an MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) that has you explore the vast and dangerous world of Chima ruled by animal warriors. You can play co-op or solo, and the game works across iOS, Mac and Windows PCs...

Apple posts big updates for its enterprise and education iOS tools

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

TechCrunch is reporting tonight that Apple has posted major updates for its large-scale deployment tools for education and enterprise customers. The move underscores the company's efforts to make large-scale iOS device deployments more appealing to organizations.

The updates affect Apple's Device Enrollment Program, Volume Purchase Program and Apple ID Student services. And one of the more significant changes is that IT administrators will no longer have to physically plug individual devices into a computer to get them set up...

‘Social Network’ director David Fincher in talks to lead Sony’s Jobs biopic

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

If you fancy yourself any kind of Apple fan, or movie fan, you have to be excited about Sony's upcoming biopic of Steve Jobs. Not only is it being written by Academy Award-winner Aaron Sorkin, but it's now being rumored that David Fincher has signed on to direct the film.

Fincher directed the hit Facebook flick 'The Social Network,' which Sorkin also wrote, and also directs and produces Netflix's critically-acclaimed drama House of Cards. So needless to say, adding him to the production team of the Jobs biopic would be a major move for Sony...

Apple releases iTunes 11.1.5 with compatibility improvements and bug fixes

Cody Lee ∙ February 26, 2014

Apple has released an update for iTunes this afternoon, bringing the software to version 11.1.5. Don’t get too excited though, it appears to just be a maintenance release with only a handful of improvements.

Those improvements include a fix for a problem that may have been causing iTunes to quit unexpectedly when a device is connected, as well as better compatibility with iBooks for users on OS X Mavericks...

US House passes bill that makes unlocking your phone legal

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Reuters is reporting that the US House has passed a bill that would allow mobile phone users to unlock their devices and use them on competitors' wireless networks without repercussions, making the once 'gray-area' practice completely legal.

Before you get too excited, however, there are a few big asterisks. First, for the bill to be written into law it must also be approved by the Senate, which could take years or never happen. And two, the bill contains an exclusion for 'bulk unlocking.'

Photos of alleged prototype for Google smartwatch surface

Cody Lee ∙ February 26, 2014

Both Apple and Google are believed to be working on wearable devices right now with plans to release them before the end of the year. And while we've seen zero physical evidence of Apple's iWatch project, some photos of an alleged Google smartwatch prototype just surfaced.

Android Police has posted photos of what appears to be a Motorola-branded smartwatch in an early development stage. The site says the device would have debuted with the "Google Watch" moniker as part of the Nexus family, but believes Google chose to go a different route...

Apple files for appeal in e-book antitrust case

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Apple filed the necessary papers yesterday afternoon to appeal the the 'guilty' verdict from its e-book antitrust case last summer. The company told a federal appeals court in New York that the decision was a "radical departure" from modern antitrust law.

For those that missed it, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote found Apple guilty of colluding with major book publishers to manipulate the prices of e-books. As a result, the iPad-maker faces 100s of millions of dollars and fines and other repercussions...

FCC releases ‘Speed Test’ app for measuring cellular and Wi-Fi data speeds

Cody Lee ∙ February 26, 2014

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has just released a new app for iOS devices called FCC Speed Test. As the name suggests, the app is designed to measure data speeds for both cellular and Wi-Fi connections.

The app is part of the FCC's Measuring Broadband America program initiative, which aims to better inform consumers about mobile broadband performance, and it measures download/upload speed, latency and packet loss...

AT&T adds free international messaging to Mobile Share plans

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Following T-Mobile's lead, AT&T announced today that it is adding unlimited international text messaging to all of its Mobile Share and Mobile Share Value plans. The free package will allow subscribers to send text and multimedia messages from the US to over 100 countries.

Additionally, the carrier introduced a new World Connect Value package for international calling. With it, post-paid AT&T customers can make one cent -per minute calls from the US to more than 35 countries, including Canada, Mexico and the Virgin Islands, for $5 per month...

Mark Zuckerberg says WhatsApp worth more than $19 billion

Cody Lee ∙ February 25, 2014

Since Facebook announced last week that it would be acquiring WhatsApp for $16+ billion, pundits have been trying to make sense of the deal. How can a messaging app startup be worth so much more than say, Motorola Mobility, which has thousands of employees?

According to Mark Zuckerberg, it's not. It's worth more. Speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday, the CEO said that WhatsApp was a 'great fit' for his company and that it was worth more than the $19B ($16B + $3B in vested shares) they paid for it...