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.

More evasi0n7 exploits patched in iOS 7.1 beta 5

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Shortly after iOS 7.1 beta 4 was released, we learned that the update patched a key kernel exploit used in the evasi0n7 jailbreak. And today we've received word that beta 5, which was seeded to developers earlier this afternoon, patches 2 other exploits.

Developer and hacker iH8sn0w tweeted out a few moments ago that Apple has fixed the 'chown' vulnerability and 'afc sandbox escape' used by the evad3r's popular jailbreak utility in beta 5. So it looks like iOS 7.1 will indeed be the death of the iOS 7 JB...

Apple seeds iOS 7.1 beta 5 to developers: here is what’s new

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Apple has released the fifth beta of iOS 7.1 to registered developers this morning. The update, which carries the build number 11D5145e, can be downloaded OTA or via Apple’s developer center.

Today’s release comes just two weeks after the fourth beta, which only brought about a handful of changes including a refreshed slide to unlock animation and a new voice gender for Siri UK…

Unread: a beautiful new RSS reader for iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Despite the fact that Google shutdown its Reader service last year, there still seems to be a lot of RSS users out there. And if you're one of them (and even if you're not), you may want to check out this new RSS reader for the iPhone called Unread.

Unread, by developer Jared Sinclair, is a new iPhone app for gathering and reading your RSS feeds. Like many post-iOS 7 releases, the app is a contemporary take on a traditional concept with a beautiful UI, gesture-based navigation, and more...

ESPN SportsCenter app updated with Olympics coverage, several improvements

Cody Lee ∙ February 4, 2014

With the 2014 Winter Olympics just a few days away, ESPN has updated its SportsCenter app to version 4.0.3. The update adds a new tab for keeping track of the events in Sochi and a handful of other improvements.

The Winter games are slated to kick off on February 7, and run through the rest of the month. And thanks to today's update, you can use SportsCenter to keep an eye on events, athlete/country medal count and more...

Google Maps app updated with new ‘faster route’ feature

Cody Lee ∙ February 3, 2014

Despite being kicked off iOS in the fall of 2012, Google Maps has managed to maintain a high profile on Apple's platform. Released as a standalone app that same year, Google's Maps app offers a solid alternative to the stock application.

And it gets even better today. Google posted an updated for its iOS Maps app this morning that adds a new 'faster route' feature. Now, when you're heading towards a destination, you'll get notified when a faster route becomes available...

Samsung sends out invitations for likely Galaxy S5 event

Cody Lee ∙ February 3, 2014

Outside of maybe Apple's next-gen iPhone, Samsung's Galaxy S5 is probably one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2014. The Galaxy line has gained a reputation for bringing about new and innovative features, and it has built up quite the following.

We were expecting to see the S5 appear sometime in March or April, but it looks like it could land much sooner than that. Samsung just sent out a round of press invitations for Samsung Unpacked 5, a media event to be held in Barcelona on February 24...

WWE channel coming to Apple TV on February 24

Cody Lee ∙ February 3, 2014

A representative of the World Wrestling Entertainment has seemingly confirmed that the upcoming 24/7 WWE Network will be landing on the Apple TV on February 24. Responding to a question on Facebook, the rep said that once the network launches, subscribers will be able to access it directly from their second or third generation ATV...

Pebble launches smartwatch app store with over 1,000 apps and watch faces

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

As promised back in December, Pebble launched its dedicated app store today. The store, which can be accessed via the official Pebble iOS app, features over 1000 apps and watch faces that can be installed on the company's line of smartwatches.

Like other app stores, the Pebble Shop pulls together all third-party apps developed for the Pebble and organizes them into categories like Fitness, Notifications and Games. This makes it easier to browse through existing apps and discover new ones...

New report says iPhone 6 will feature larger IGZO displays, 2GB of RAM and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

We've seen multiple reports over the last few weeks claiming to have knowledge of iPhone 6 features. The consensus seems to be that Apple's next smartphone will come in two sizes, 4.8-inches and 5.5-inches, and offer up a variety of performance bumps.

And today we're adding a new report to the stack, from analysts at KDB Daewoo Securities Research. In a note issued to investors last week, KDB agreed this year's iPhone will come in two sizes, and said it will feature IGZO technology, 2GB of RAM and more...

Tim Cook visits with Prime Minister, retailers in United Arab Emirates

Cody Lee ∙ February 3, 2014

Following his trip to Ireland last week, Tim Cook was spotted at several electronics outlets in the United Arab Emirates this weekend. The CEO posed for pictures while visiting malls in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The reason for his visit is unknown, but a UAE-based newspaper is reporting that Cook also met with UAE Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and other officials while in the region...

NBA Game Time app gets big update ahead of All-Star weekend

Cody Lee ∙ February 3, 2014

Now that the Super Bowl is over, and pro football is no more, the attention of many sports fans will now turn to basketball. College teams are just a month or so away from the big March Madness tournament, and the NBA is just two weeks away from All-Star weekend.

And because of that, the NBA pushed out a big update for its Game Time app this weekend. The update brings the app to version 5.2, and adds several new All-Star data points and features including rosters, schedules and everything you need to keep up with the action...