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.

The new iPad becomes available in nine more countries today

Cody Lee ∙ April 27, 2012

As noted by TheNextWeb, Apple is launching its latest iPad in nine new countries today. This means that the tablet is now available in 30 countries within less than 60 days of hitting the market, making it one of Apple's fastest international product rollouts ever.

Apple missed iPad sales projections by nearly a million units last quarter. But between the upcoming educational buying season and increased availability, that shouldn't happen again. Keep reading for a full list of the new countries...

Twitter for iPhone updated with push notification improvements and more

Cody Lee ∙ April 26, 2012

Twitter has just announced that it has pushed a new version of Twitter for iPhone to the App Store. The app entails a number of updates including an improved Discover tab and more functionality for its push notification feature.

The Twitter app has received a lot of criticism over the redesign it received back in December of last year. In fact, a lot of folks left it for other third-party clients. Well this new update may be enough to win some of them back...

IndieDevLab: a WWDC alternative for developers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Early yesterday morning, Apple put 2012 WWDC tickets up for sale. The World Wide Developer Conference is a popular meeting place for both iOS and Mac developers, featuring hands-on workshops and previews of Apple's latest software.

It's so popular, in fact, that tickets sold out in a matter of a few hours yesterday — leaving thousands of people disappointed. Luckily, some guys got together to create the IndieDevLab, an alternative conference for Apple developers...

25% of iPad purchases are from first-time Apple buyers

Cody Lee ∙ April 26, 2012

The NPD, a consumer market research firm, is out with a new report today regarding its recent Apple Ecosystem Study. The firm asked more than 3,000 consumers, of balanced demographics, on whether or not they owned Apple products. And if so, which ones.

As usual, the results are pretty interesting. The study found that one-in-five Apple owner households owns at least one iPad. But current Apple owners aren't the only people that are being drawn to the new tablet: one-in-four iPad buyers are first-time Apple buyers...

Should hackers wait for iOS 6 to release the next jailbreak?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Pod2g has just put up quite the interesting poll on his personal blog. The infamous hacker, who is responsible for a majority of the recent exploits found in iOS, is asking folks to vote on the following question: "Shall we hold off the jailbreak for iOS 6?"

The question comes just a few days after we heard that hackers were finally making some progress on the iOS 5.1 jailbreak. Of course, if it's released before iOS 6 comes out, the exploits will almost certainly be patched up in the new software...

What Google’s smartphone looked like before the iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ April 26, 2012

Thanks to his biography, Steve Jobs' feelings on Android are fairly well known. The late-CEO famously said, "I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

Considering that Apple is involved in a number of lawsuits around the globe with Android manufacturers, it's easy to see that Jobs' remarks weren't totally unfounded. But did Google actually steal anything?

Cheaper iPad 2 could help Apple make major headway into education market

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Nobody was surprised when Apple announced that it was going to continue selling its one-year old iPad 2 at a discount alongside its new tablet last month. After all, the Cupertino company pulled the same thing with the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Considering that Apple has sold more than 70 million iPhones over the past two quarters, it's safe to say that keeping the older iPhone around is paying off in spades. And it looks like keeping the iPad 2 around will yield similar results...

Turn your iPad into a MacBook Air with this keyboard case

Cody Lee ∙ April 25, 2012

If there's one thing that the iPad accessory space isn't short on, it's keyboard cases. There are a number of them available from several top-notch manufacturers including Zagg, Logitech, and Kensington. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for one more.

Meet the Brydge, an aluminum bluetooth keyboard case for your second generation or third generation iPad. Made from the "highest quality materials," the accessory makes your tablet look (and function) an awful lot like a MacBook Air...

Facebook reportedly still working on a smartphone with HTC

Cody Lee ∙ April 25, 2012

Late last year, some rumors started circulating that Facebook was working on its very own smartphone. Code-named "Buffy," the handset was to be built by HTC, and feature a forked version of Android with core-level integration of the social network.

Today, DigiTimes is reviving the rumor with a new report regarding the mysterious device. Quoting "industry sources," the site says that Facebook is set to release the smartphone as early as Q3 of this year, shortly after the company goes public...

ITC judge finds Apple’s products in violation of Motorola Wi-Fi patent

Cody Lee ∙ April 25, 2012

Thomas Pender, of the International Trade Commission, passed down a ruling yesterday that could have some serious ramifications for Apple if the cards fall just right. Bloomberg reports that the ITC judge found the iPad-makers to be in violation of one of Motorola's patents.

Motorola was actually suing Apple over four patents, so the fact that Apple was only found to be in violation of one is a victory in itself. But the patent it is being charged with infringing upon, an invention involving Wi-Fi, is a pretty crucial component for iOS devices...

HackStore: it’s like Cydia for your Mac

Cody Lee ∙ Updated September 17, 2017

Cydia has become a household name in the jailbreak community over the past few years. The underground app store has withstood the tests of time and competition to become the de facto source for apps, themes and utilities that aren't allowed in the official App Store.

Last night, a similar app store launched for the Mac platform called HackStore. No, it doesn't include the same apps and tweaks that you'll find in Cydia. But it does contain apps and utilities that Apple wouldn't normally approve for its official Mac App Store...

Tim Cook speaks out on Apple’s patent battles

Cody Lee ∙ April 24, 2012

Along with making announcements regarding its quarterly performance, Apple also uses its financial earnings calls to offer analysts a chance to ask questions. After all, these are the folks that have to essentially guess how Apple will fair over the next few months.

On today's call, there was one particular question that was both interesting and relevant: "In terms of flexibility in cash and providing more color, how should we think about opportunities regarding patent disputes? Any thoughts about settling vs ongoing litigation?

And here's how Tim Cook responded...