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.

First reviews of Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet hit the web

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2013

After years of sitting on the sidelines, Microsoft entered the modern tablet space late last year with the Surface RT. And although it sparked a lot of initial interest, it failed to translate that into sales, with reports claiming it didn't fair very well over the holidays.

But alas, the Redmond company has a second shot at greatness with its new Surface Pro tablet. And it too has stirred up quite a bit of commotion, with some pundits deeming it a possible iPad/Macbook Air killer. But will this MS slate actually live up to the hype this time?

Copyright regulator to strip Apple of its iPhone trademark in Brazil

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

On Monday, we passed along a report claiming that Apple is in jeopardy of losing its 'iPhone' trademark in Brazil. It applied for exclusive rights to the name back in 2007, and is expecting to hear a decision from the country's copyright regulator next week.

The problem is that the iPhone trademark has belonged to electronics maker IGB Eletrônica SA since 2008. And rumor has it that the Brazilian Institute of Intellectual Property is going to rule in its favor, meaning Apple couldn't use the term anymore...

Planetbeing reveals some of the complicated hacks used in evasi0n

Cody Lee ∙ February 5, 2013

This week's evasi0n release has garnered a lot of attention over the past two days—and not just from folks who intend on jailbreaking. Sites like CBS and DaringFireball, who don't normally cover the jailbreak scene, are running multiple stories on the hack.

The consensus seems to be that folks are just genuinely flat-out impressed with the technical aspects of evasi0n, and the team behind it. And for good reason too. Check out this Forbes interview with planetbeing, where he talks in-depth about the jailbreak...

Apple updates Knowledge Base article on jailbreaking

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

It's pretty obvious that Apple doesn't want people jailbreaking its devices. While the company isn't going out and suing hackers like ahem, Sony did, it's not exactly making it any easier for them to open up its mobile OS either.

And the company's disdain for the process is especially evident in its Knowledge Base article on jailbreaking, which points out that unauthorized modification of iOS can cause instability and other major device issues...

Mophie unveils Helium Juice Pack for iPhone 5

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

This must be 'unveil your latest product' week for accessory makers. Logitech took the wraps off its new Ultrathin Keyboard for the iPad mini yesterday, Griffin just announced new designer iPhone 5 cases, and now Mophie has come forward.

The California-based designer and manufacturer introduced the iPhone 5 version of its popular battery case line today, the Juice Pack Helium. The case is 13% thinner than any previous Juice Pack, and features a built-in 1500mAh battery...

Apple making big hiring push for iOS Maps team

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

It seems like criticism for Apple's Maps app has died down in recent months. What was once the favorite topic of critics and naysayers has been replaced with talk of iPhone 5 part order cuts and the company's floundering stock.

But that doesn't mean that the Maps app is up to snuff yet, and Apple knows it. That's why it's been working hard to improve the software and, according to new job listings, is making a major hiring push for its Maps team...

Hidden radio buttons discovered in iPad Music app

Cody Lee ∙ February 5, 2013

At the end of last year, there was a lot of talk about Apple building an internet radio service similar to Pandora. But the last we heard, it was having trouble getting the big record labels on board with the project. And the chatter has since quieted down.

But the speculation has been rekindled today, with a new discovery in iOS 6.1 thanks to the recently-released jailbreak. It appears that the iPad's Music app contains some hidden 'Radio Buttons,' suggesting that there may be something to the rumors...

New 128GB iPad now available for online order

Cody Lee ∙ February 5, 2013

As promised, Apple's new 128GB iPad has become available today. While in-store availability is still unknown, the tablet can be ordered online with an estimated shipping time of 1-3 business days.

Evidence of the high-capacity iPad was first spotted in the just-released iOS 6.1 firmware last week. And shortly after that, Apple confirmed the slate's existence and launch date of February 5...

Sn0wbreeze 2.9.8 released with support for untethered iOS 6.x jailbreak

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

iH8sn0w has released a significant update to his popular jailbreak utility sn0wbreeze tonight, bringing the software to version 2.9.8. The update includes several improvements, as well as support for the new iOS 6.x untethered jailbreak.

As you know, the evad3rs released evasi0n yesterday for both Windows and Mac platforms. And that should handle most of your jailbreaking needs. But for those of you looking to try something different, you might give sn0wbreeze a shot...

Cydia repos buckle under evasi0n traffic

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

Earlier today, planetbeing announced that evasi0n saw over 100,000 downloads within 10 minutes of its release. The pent-up demand for the iOS 6 jailbreak was clear, as an influx of visitors crashed the evad3rs' website.

That excess traffic has also seemingly crippled Cydia this morning. Although the app itself loads fine, we're finding it nearly impossible to access our Store accounts, or download any apps or tweaks from the main repos...

Users complain of issues with stock Weather app after jailbreaking

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Evasi0n, the long-awaited untethered iOS 6 jailbreak was released to the public this morning. And aside from some overloaded web servers and Cydia repos, it's been a fairly smooth ride for most folks.

But there does seem to be one bug in the utility that is causing problems for [at least some] iPhone users. We're seeing a lot of folks complain that their stock Weather app crashes after jailbreaking...

Surprise: evasi0n unhides Weather app on iPad

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

While the new evasi0n jailbreak has been causing problems with the stock Weather app for some iPhone users, it's had quite the opposite effect for those with iPads.

As many of you have probably discovered by now, the utility actually adds the stock Weather app to the tablet's home screen...