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.

GarageBand for iOS updated with support for inter-app communication via Audiobus

This is pretty interesting. Apple has updated its GarageBand for iOS app today with support for Audiobus—a third party app that allows you to connect multiple audio applications together to create an entire digital studio.

You can use Audiobus to play music from a synthesizer app, and record it live into a looper or multi-track recording app, all from your iPhone or iPad. And now, with today's update, GarageBand can get in on the fun...

WhatsApp to bring subscription model to iOS this year

WhatsApp, the popular cross-platform messaging service, is going to be bringing its subscription model to iOS this year, according to CEO Jan Koum. Koum recently spoke with a Dutch news outlet about the company's near-term plans.

Currently, iOS users can download WhatsApp for a one-time fee of $0.99. In the new model though, which it already uses on other platforms like Android and Windows Phone, the app will be free, with users having to pay an annual fee...

iOS 6.1.3 kills evasi0n jailbreak

It was fun while it lasted, but it appears that Apple has finally put an end to evasi0n. Earlier today, the company released iOS 6.1.3 to the masses, and as expected, it contains patches for multiple exploits used in the popular iOS 6.x jailbreak.

MuscleNerd confirmed our fears on Twitter just a few moments ago, pointing out that Apple has credited the evad3rs with the discovery of 4 of the 6 security flaws that were patched in today's update. So jailbreakers should stay far away...

BatteryDoctorPro: power management, NC settings toggles, app switcher and more

Every once in a while, a good jailbreak app or tweak sneaks past our radar. We feel we do a pretty good job of covering most new notable Cydia packages, but every now and then, one slips through the cracks. And that's exactly what's happened with BatteryDoctorPro.

For those who aren't familiar with it, BatteryDoctorPro is a jailbreak app that monitors your iPhone or iPod touch usage to essentially lengthen your battery life. But it also has Notification Center settings toggles, a multitasking bar and several other handy features...

Apple TV software updated to kill evasi0n jailbreak

In addition to this morning's release of iOS 6.1.3, Apple has also seeded a new version of its Apple TV software. The update brings the firmware to version 5.2.1, and it includes a number of bug fixes as well as support for the new Hulu Plus app.

Unfortunately, as with iOS 6.1.3, the bug fixes are actually patches for the exploits used in the latest evasi0n jailbreak. So if your Apple TV is jailbroken, or you would like it to be in the future, you'll want to be sure to stay away from this update...

XBMC updated with iPhone 5 support and other improvements

Popular open-source media player XBMC has been updated today, bringing the app to version 12.1. The update improves the experience across all of Apple's platforms, including the Mac, iOS and Apple TV.

For most users, the iOS update will be the most welcomed change, as it brings about support for the iPhone 5's larger 4-inch display. And Apple TV2 users will be similarly pleased with further support for iOS 6...

Bloomberg: Samsung in race with Apple to get wristwatch to market

We've heard a lot of talk in recent months that Apple is working on a wristwatch-like device. And it could be ready to launch as soon as this year. We've also seen some alleged leaked screenshot images that suggest Samsung is working on a similar product.

Tonight, Bloomberg is out with a new report that adds significant weight to both rumors, claiming that not only are both companies preparing wearable devices that perform similar functions as smartphones, but they're both racing to get them to market...

Hulu updates Apple TV app with new categories and improved playback

Great news today for Hulu Plus users. The popular streaming service has announced this morning that it has created a brand new app for the Apple TV that will make it easier to find new content and play it back on your favorite set-top box.

Hulu says it has "redesigned the Plus experience from the ground up" with a new content section, a new "Shows You Watch" tray for quickly accessing your favorite shows, and a more streamlined playback feature, with new Play button...

Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch to join Apple as VP of technology

Remember the name Kevin Lynch, because you're probably going to be hearing a lot more of it from now on. The former Adobe CTO, or Chief Technology Officer, will soon be taking an executive role at Apple.

Reports of the high-profile hiring started circling this afternoon, and the news has since been confirmed by both Apple and Adobe. Lynch will be joining Apple as VP of technology, reporting to Bob Mansfield...

Galaxy S4 benchmarks almost twice as fast as the iPhone 5

As most of you know already, Samsung unveiled its highly anticipated Galaxy S III successor last week, the S4. The handset will sell head-to-head against the iPhone 5 until Apple releases its next-gen smartphone, which is expected sometimes this summer.

While the jury is still out on which handset provides the best user experience — easy-of-use, reliability, etc — the S4 is certainly looking better on paper. It has a sharper screen, a bigger battery, and according to new benchmarks, a much, much fast processor...

New Cupertino hotel offers an Apple TV in every guest room

If you look around your next hotel room, there's a fair chance it will have an alarm clock with a 30-pin dock connector for your iPhone. It's a popular amenity for hotels to list, since there are some 500+ million iOS devices out in the wild.

But one hotel in Cupertino, California is taking their iOS compatibility to the next level. Starwood Hotels' Aloft Hotel has announced today that it now has an Apple TV, connected to a 42-inch LCD television, in all 123 of its guest rooms...

Facebook for iOS updated with cover photo, group messaging improvements

Facebook has released another update for its iOS app this afternoon, bringing it to version 5.6. This is the app's third update in as many months, as the social network continues to improve its mobile experience.

Today's update brings about a handful of improvements, including an easier process for updating your cover photo from inside the app and multiple changes to group messaging. Full change log after the fold...