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.

Vudu iOS app updated with ability to download movies for offline viewing

Cody Lee ∙ May 22, 2013

Folks who use the streaming video service Vudu will be happy to hear that it has updated its iOS client with a major new feature this week. The Walmart-owned content delivery company has added the ability for users to download movies for offline viewing.

For those unfamiliar with the service, Vudu is similar to iTunes in that it allows you to rent and purchase movies a la carte—no monthly subscription fee. Rentals typically run between $2 and $5 and can be played back on a number of electronic devices...

TextExpander 2 for iOS is out with new features and improvements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Fans of Smile's TextExpander, the app that allows you to type lengthy words or phrases using text shortcuts, will be happy to hear that version 2 is out for iOS. The update includes a number of new features and improvements, and brings the mobile app more in line with its highly-regarded Mac sibling...

Intel hires former Apple exec to head ‘smart devices’ team

Cody Lee ∙ May 21, 2013

Since turning down the opportunity to manufacture chips for the original iPhone, Intel has had problems breaking into the mobile industry. Go ahead, try to name a smartphone or tablet that has one of Intel's processor inside.

But that doesn't mean it's giving up. In its latest move to try to break into the mobile space, Intel has hired former Apple VP Mike Bell to head up a new 'smart devices' team, a group tasked with turning cool technology into products...

Create shortcuts for up to 7 of your favorite apps with SubIc0ns

Cody Lee ∙ May 21, 2013

There's no shortage of jailbreak tweaks that allow you to quickly access your favorite apps. I can think of a few right off the top of my head including Axis, Grabby, and JellyLock. And today, we've got another one to add to the list.

SubIc0ns, by developer ClausCartel, is a new tweak that allows you to add up to 7 app shortcuts to a hidable window that can be accessed via any Activator function. This gives you quick access to these apps from anywhere in iOS...

Add handy information tiles to your device’s Lock screen with LS Squares

Cody Lee ∙ May 21, 2013

Folks looking to spice up their device's Lock screen will be happy to hear that there's a new jailbreak theme out that can help with that. It's called LS Squares, and it adds 4 tiles to the empty space that each provide you with useful information at a glance.

Sure, there are already hundreds of tweaks and themes available in Cydia that have similar premises. But what sets LS Squares apart from the rest of them is its sharp, Metro-like tile design that can completely change the look of your Lock screen...

Facebook makes it easier for iOS developers to add sharing to their apps

Cody Lee ∙ Updated September 24, 2017

Are you not getting enough Facebook in your life? Do you find yourself wishing that your third party apps offered better integration for the social network? If you answered yes to either one of these questions, you'll love this.

Facebook just announced that it's pulling the native Share Dialog feature it introduced last month out of beta today. This will allow developers to add sharing features from the social network to their apps with a single line of code...

Apple issues statement on corporate tax policy ahead of senate hearing

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 3, 2017

Ahead of Tim Cook's appearance in front of the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation tomorrow, Apple has released a lengthy statement regarding its company tax practices and other items that will be used in its testimony.

Remember, last week we told you that Cook was expected to testify at a senate hearing this Tuesday on "offshore profit shifting," following Apple's move to take on domestic debt, rather than use its offshore cash, to avoid $9 billion in taxes...

Tumblr updates iOS app with redesigned interface

Cody Lee ∙ May 20, 2013

It's been a big day for the folks over at Tumblr. Earlier this morning, the microblogging network confirmed the weekend's speculation that it is has agreed to an acquisition deal with Yahoo!, said to be worth over $1 billion.

And shortly after the news was revealed, an update for Tumblr's iOS app posted in the App Store. The update, which brings the app to version 3.3.2, includes a handful of bug fixes and improvements, and a shiny new interface...

Hacked AT&T carrier update could improve your device’s network performance

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Last week, a hacked carrier update surfaced for T-Mobile subscribers that promises to increase the cellular data speeds of the iPhone 5. It claims to pull this off by increasing the handset's bandwidth supply, allowing for "better throughput of data."

This weekend, the same person behind the T-Mobile hack unveiled a similar workaround for AT&T customers. As before, the process installs a modded carrier file to your device that aims to improve its network performance with better band management...

Make mobile Safari load faster with SafariBlankPage

Cody Lee ∙ May 20, 2013

Are you tired of waiting for web pages to reload every time you launch mobile Safari? If so, you might be interested in this new jailbreak tweak called SafariBlankPage, by Suu (the same developer who did Slide2Kill).

As its name indicates, the tweak forces Safari to open up to a blank page upon launch, meaning you don't have to wait for anything to load. This allows you to quickly perform searches and open new websites...

Siri vs. Google Now video faceoff

Cody Lee ∙ May 19, 2013

Siri was all the rage when Apple unveiled it alongside its iPhone 4S in the fall of 2011. The digital assistant was highlighted in a number of commercials for the handset during its 11-month life cycle. But since then, we've seen a number of competitors arise.

One of those competitors is Google Now, which launched in the summer of last year. And a lot of folks believe that it's superior to Siri—both in speed and accuracy. But is that really the case? Find out in this new head-to-head comparison video of the two...