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.

iPhone 5S and 5C said to be launching in Japan on September 20

The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C will launch in Japan on September 20, according to a report from prominent Japanese business newspaper Nikkei. That falls on a Friday, 10 days after the handsets are expected to be unveiled.

The date makes sense, based on Apple's past history. The company typically launches its new iPhones in the United States and a handful of international markets on the Friday of the following week after they're announced...

Gorgeous new iWatch concept features flexible display, runs iOS 7

Since we first started hearing reports that Apple was working on a smartwatch, designers have been churning out concepts left and right showing what their visions are for the device. And we've seen some good ones too, see here and here.

But this new one from Federico Ciccarese, of Ciccarese Design, might be the best yet. Designed with a flexible touchscreen display, it looks more like a futuristic, high-end fashion accessory than it does a smartwatch, and it even runs iOS 7...

OtterBox wins $2 million court victory against counterfeiters

Counterfeiting is a major problem that all brand-name manufacturers have to deal with—whether they make clothes, jewelry, bags or, as Apple could certainly attest to, electronics. It's a tough issue to fight, too, and companies rarely get restitution.

But that's not the case this time. Popular Apple accessory-maker OtterBox has just won a major victory against a New-York-based company. Not only did a US District Court judge issue a permanent injunction, but it awarded $2 million in damages...

Phlo brings its multi-site search tool to iOS

If you're like me, you perform a number of searches on the web throughout the day. And not just on Google either, but Wikipedia, Twitter, YouTube, and various other sites. Wouldn't it be nice if you could search them all at once?

You can, actually, using Phlo. The app, which launched for the Mac earlier this year, allows you to search all of the above-listed sites (and many others) in a single go-round. And now you can do it on-the-go with the new iOS app...

Radical.FM launches donation-based streaming music app

Streaming music service Radical.FM launched a new iOS app today, which gives users access to its library of over 20 million songs. And believe it or not, there's no subscription fee and no advertising. Instead, the company asks that its users "pay what you can" for the service...

EA announces it’s bringing freemium model to mobile FIFA titles

Sorry FIFA fans, it looks like the popular soccer (futbol) game is going freemium this year. Electronic Arts made the not-so-surprising announcement during its Gamescom press conference in Germany this morning.

This means that when FIFA 14, or whatever it's going to be called, hits mobile devices later this year, it'll utilize EA's free-to-play business model. So while it'll be free to download, it'll likely be rife with in-app purchases...

AdAge: iTunes Radio to launch in September with high-profile ad partners

Since Apple unveiled its new streaming music service, iTunes Radio, back in June, we haven't heard much about it. While we have a good idea, from the betas, of how it's going to work, there are still a lot of details we don't know.

But a new report out this morning is looking to change that, by filling in a lot of the blanks. Citing "people familiar with the negotiations," it claims that iTunes Radio is launching in September with some high-profile brand partners...

YouTube app updated with picture-in-picture and deeper Chromecast integration

Yesterday, Google announced that it was bringing a new version of its YouTube app to Android, but it didn't say when it would be reaching iOS. Well it looks like the answer is today. The search giant just posted a big update for its standalone iOS YouTube app.

The update, which brings the app to version 2.0, brings about a number of improvements, including a new 'picture-in-picture' feature, which lets you watch a video in the bottom half of your device's screen while you continue to explore content on the site...

Logitech introduces two new iPad mini folio cases

Logitech must really have a thing for the iPad mini, because for the third time in the last six months it's introduced a new set of cases for Apple's popular tiny tablet: the Ultrathin Keyboard Folio and the Folio Protective Case.

The Ultrathin Keyboard Folio is pitched as the company's thinnest and lightest keyboard folio to date, and features all of the bells and whistles. And the Folio Protective is a hard cover case that doubles as a stand...

Instagram warns third-party apps to stop using ‘Insta’ and ‘Gram’ in their branding

Your favorite Instagram-connected app could be changing soon, or worse, it could be shutting down. The photo-sharing network just updated its brand guidelines, stating that it's going to start banning apps that use either the word ‘Insta’ or ‘Gram’ in their names.

In fact, according to a new report, it looks like Instagram has already begun sending emails out to developers of existing apps, requesting that they change these trademark-infringing components 'within a reasonable period’ or risk losing their apps' API access...

Wacom unveils new pressure-sensitive Intuos Creative Stylus for iPad

Wacom has just announced its latest entry into the increasingly-crowded space of iPad styli, the Intuos Creative Stylus. The accessory uses low-power Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to your tablet, and includes programmable shortcut buttons.

Additionally, Wacom says the Intuos Creative sports a best-in-class pressure sensitivity of 2048 pressure levels, creating a "realistic pen-on-paper feel" when drawing. The high-end stylus aims to deliver "professional grade" performance...

WhatsApp update brings back the ability to send longer videos

WhatsApp users will be happy to hear that the popular messaging service has updated its iOS client this afternoon. The update brings the app to version 2.11.3 and includes new features and improvements.

Most of the improvements have to do with the recently-added voice messaging feature, particularly in regards to accessibility, but perhaps the biggest change is that you can once again send longer videos...