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.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City now available in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

Here it is folks, the moment you've all been waiting for. Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City iOS port is now available in the App Store. That means that the 1980's, and all of its big hair, oversized sunglasses and pastel suits, are now just a tap away.

Rockstar has been leading up to this moment for over a month now, announcing back in October that it would be releasing an iOS version of its popular PS2 GTA title. And from what we've seen, it looks and sounds every bit as good as the original...

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FTC slams Motorola’s attempts to ban iPhone, iPad

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

The FTC filed what's called an amicus brief with the US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals this afternoon, arguing that Google-owned Motorola's attempts to ban the sale of the iPhone, iPad and other Apple products in the US for allegedly infringing on its patents was 'inappropriate.'

The Commission feels that since Motorola has already licensed the patents in question under fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) terms, it had no right to seek an injunction against Apple's products that supposedly violated them, without offering similar licensing terms...

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AT&T seeing record smartphone sales in Q4 of 2012

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

AT&T Mobility chief Ralph de la Vega told investors today that the carrier is selling smartphones at a record pace in this last quarter of 2012. Because of this, the CEO says that the carrier now expects to sell 26 million smartphones this year, 1 million more than previously expected. And as you can imagine, this news bodes extremely well for Apple and its handset...

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Casio announces new iPhone-friendly G-Shock smart watch

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

There's been a lot of talk lately about a rising accessory category called "smart watches." They're essentially wristwatches with the ability to connect and share data with smartphones — think the Pebble, or the Strata.

Today, Casio has officially announced that it's throwing its hat into the smart watch ring with a new line of iPhone-friendly G-Shock wristwatches. They actually look like regular watches, until you see what they can do...

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No major labels onboard yet for Apple’s radio service

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

Rumors have been floating around since September that Apple is working on a new Pandora-like streaming radio service. In fact, the word is that it's almost finished, and it should be ready for launch by early 2013.

But according to a new report, that expectation may fall flat, as Apple continues to struggle with securing the proper licenses for such a service. Apparently the record labels aren't too happy with its licensing terms...

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Apple’s Eddy Cue cashes in $9 million in company shares

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

Following in the footsteps of Bob Mansfield and other executives, Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services, and new head of Maps, Eddy Cue sold 15,000 shares of company stock last week. The selloff, which netted Cue nearly $9 million, was detailed in a filing published by the US Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday...

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Check out this cool Lockscreen concept

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

As successful as iOS has been, and continues to be, for Apple, there's no question that it's getting a bit long in the tooth. After all, a majority of the operating system looks just like it did when the iPhone first debuted back in 2007.

And that's why we see so many concepts for iOS. Because there's several ways Apple could improve its mobile platform, from smarter notifications, to broader widgets. And that's proven once again with this new Lockscreen design...

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Eric Schmidt on Google’s relationship with Apple

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO and now executive board member, recently sat down to talk with Jessica E. Lessin of The Wall Street Journal. During the interview, he fielded several interesting questions about a variety of things including Google's current relationship status with Apple, their continuous run-ins with patent litigation, and more...

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Former Apple designer Loren Brichter talks about Jony Ive’s new role

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Loren Brichter is a designer and developer with quite an impressive track record. He's created popular apps like Tweetie and Letterpress. And he was also a member of the original iPhone team at Apple.

So needless to say, when Brichter talks, people listen. And he recently sat down with the folks at GigaOM and gave his thoughts on a few things, including Apple's shakeup, and Jony Ive's new role...

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Apple begins work on major Austin campus expansion

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Earlier this year, Apple purchased 38 acres of land on the corner of West Parmer Lane and Delcour Drive in Austin to expand its Texas-based campus. The buildout is going to double Apple’s work force in the area, creating some 3,600 jobs. And according to a new report, construction on the site is underway...

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Judge says patents involved in Apple-HTC deal must remain unsealed

Cody Lee ∙ December 4, 2012

In a ruling late last night, US District Court Judge Lucy Koh ordered that the patents Apple and HTC are cross-licensing as part of their settlement are to remain unsealed, suggesting that the public will eventually get a look at this information.

The order comes two weeks after US Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal granted Samsung's motion to compel, forcing Apple to disclose the terms of its deal with HTC to its legal team. But now it looks like we'll all get a peek inside the pact...

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