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.

Tim Cook to start settlement talks with Samsung head today

Well it appears that Apple could be getting closer to resolving its 14 month-long patent dispute with Samsung. The two companies are slated to begin their court-ordered mediation session later today.

Reuters is reporting that it has learned that Apple's Tim Cook, and Samsung vice chairman Choi Gee-sung will be meeting in a San Francisco federal courthouse this afternoon to discuss a legal truce...

Stop struggling to plug in your iDevice in the dark with CordLite

Every night, as I'm going to bed, I dock my iPhone on a Sony-branded alarm clock and attempt to plug in my iPad to its USB power adapter. I say attempt because in the dark, that's not exactly an easy task.

Well, TechCrunch points to a new Kickstarter project that is looking to change that. CordLite, the product of Scrap Pile Labs, is an iOS device charging cable that provides illumination in low-light settings...

This hack sends out a push notification when the doorbell rings

As iDB is deeply involved in the jailbreak community, we see cool software and hardware hacks all the time. One of my favorites is by Mark Hodder, the freelance webmaster, who programmed Siri to turn his fireplace off and on.

Today, we've got another cool hack to share with you. This one comes from Clement Storck, over at Make Projects, who hacked his doorbell to send his iPhone push notifications (and doorway photos) when activated by a visitor...

This 0.25 mm case makes your iPhone waterproof

Water damage. It's a concern on the minds of nearly every major smartphone manufacturer out there, and their customers. And while companies like HZO and Liquipel are trying to change that, their technologies aren't quite there yet.

So while we wait for some of the new-aged tech to mature, there's still plenty of physical case options to choose from to make your iPhone waterproof. And if you happen to be a minimalist, you might want to check out the Case Marine...

Apple again seen testing FaceTime over 3G

While folks in the jailbreak community have been able to make FaceTime calls on cellular networks for quite some time now, others haven't been so lucky. Since it debuted in 2010, the video calling feature has remained Wi-Fi-only.

Today, however, evidence has surfaced that suggests Apple is testing a FaceTime over 3G option. The folks over at iDevice posted the above screenshot, which was taken from an error message pulled out of iOS 5.1.1...

Apple board member says Steve Jobs wanted to design an iCar

Fast Company highlights some interesting comments made by Apple board member, and J. Crew head, Mickey Drexler at the recent Innovation Uncensored conference. Drexler talked about all things Apple, including its late CEO Steve Jobs.

According to him, Jobs' desire to rethink industries didn't stop at computers, smartphones and other consumer electronics. Apparently he also wanted to reinvent the automotive industry as well. That's right, Jobs' wanted to build an iCar...

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II hits the App Store

Fans of the popular Sonic franchise will be happy to hear that Sega has just finished porting over another new title to iOS featuring the little blue hedgehog. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II is now available in the App Store.

This is the fifth Sonic title that Sega has released on Apple's mobile platform, and it doesn't disappoint. The game features an all-new graphics engine, fit for a Retina display, updated physics, and oh yeah, Tails is back...

Singtones: sung ringtones, customized just for you

Have you been looking for a way to make your iPhone's ringtone more personalized? Do you enjoy listening to jazz ensembles? Well if you answered yes to one of, or (preferably) both of these questions, you need a Singtone.

What's a Singtone? Well it's a ringtone, customized and sung just for you by the folks of Ensemble 101. The group is looking to take its jazz act on the road next year, and they are hoping to use Singtone sales to fund the tour...

Steve Wozniak tapped as technical advisor for Jobs biopic

During a recent news conference for his upcoming HBO series, Aaron Sorkin fielded a number of questions regarding the Steve Jobs biopic he was recently chosen to adapt for Sony Pictures.

The Academy Award-winning writer told reporters that while he still doesn't know what he's going to write just yet, he's sure that the film won't be a "straight ahead biography."

Bloomberg: Steve Jobs worked closely on new redesigned iPhone

I know what you're thinking: great, another iPhone rumor. Well, in less than 6 months, the world's most popular tech company is expected to give its most popular product a major makeover — get used to them. Now, onto the latest rumblings.

Citing sources with "knowledge of the plans," Bloomberg is out with a new report tonight regarding Apple's next smartphone. Not only does the news outlet confirm previous reports that it has a larger screen, but it says Steve Jobs himself designed it...

Mockups show how apps would benefit from a 4-inch iPhone

The 4-inch iPhone. According to just about every major news publication — The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, etc. — it's coming. But where does that leave the 600,000+ apps designed for a 3.5" screen and their developers?

Well the most popular theory for how Apple will go about making a 4-inch iPhone is to give it a resolution of 640x1158, and an aspect ratio of 9:5. So Overdrive Design decided to show us what that would do to current apps...

Verizon clarifies plans to discontinue grandfathered unlimited data plans

Verizon's CFO Fran Shammo caused quite a commotion yesterday when he said the carrier was going to be discontinuing grandfathered unlimited data plans this summer. "Everyone will be on data share."

Folks are upset over the comments because up until this point, Verizon has allowed unlimited data users to keep the plan even though it no longer offers it. So the operator issued a clarification today...