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.

Foxconn corporate servers hacked, classified information compromised

Foxconn, Apple's largest manufacturing partner, has been back in the media spotlight over the last few weeks. Last month, the New York Times pointed to the company in its report on the poor working conditions in Chinese factories.

Foxconn has since been the target of activists and protestors, but now it's found itself in the sights of a different breed. It seems that the world's largest component manufacturer has been hacked by a new group called Swagg Security...

Protestors to stage rally in front of Grand Central Apple Store tomorrow

It's been nearly three weeks since the New York Times published its now infamous report on the poor working conditions of overseas manufacturers, and Apple is still feeling the ripple effects. The iPhone-makers were named exclusively in the lengthy article regarding their poor efforts to correct the growing labor problems in China.

In response to the allegations, activists setup an online petition calling for Apple to release a "worker protection strategy." And not only has the petition collected more than 250,000 electronic signatures, but the activists are about to take their protest to the next level...

Rumor: Public Release of iOS 5.1 to Drop March 9th

It's been more than a month since Apple seeded iOS 5.1 beta 3 to developers, and more than three months since it released the first one. So we've started wondering, when will we see the next version of iOS?

Judging by Apple's history, the company is more than likely waiting for its upcoming iPad event to unveil iOS 5.1. And according to the folks over at YourDailyMac, we could see both drop on March 9th...

aTV Flash (black) Update Brings Automated Backups and More

The folks over at FireCore have been really busy this year improving their aTV Flash (black) software for the Apple TV. Last month they released version 1.2 with a number of fixes. And today they're back with even more improvements.

Most notably, the program now offers automated backups which will allow users to restore to the firmware of their choice with a single click. FireCore also added a number of new translation languages. Keep reading for the full change log...

Siri Accounts for 25% of Wolfram Alpha Queries

Siri has been met with mixed feelings from consumers since it debuted on the iPhone 4S last Fall. While some folks think the feature alone is worth the handset's price tag, others find it to be little more than a novelty.

Well in case anyone was wondering how often 4S owners are actually using Siri, the New York Times has the answer. In a recent report, the site notes that 25% of Wolfram Alpha's queries come from Apple's digital assistant...

Apple Asks European Organization to Standardize Patent Licensing

Apple and Motorola have really been going at it over the last few weeks. Motorola seems to have the upper hand in the ongoing patent lawsuit, as it recently won a court decision forcing Apple to remove some of its products from its online store.

But Apple's [obviously] not going down without a fight. It claims that the patents that Motorola is holding against it are standards-essential patents (required to function), and, if nothing else, should be licensable under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non Discriminatory) terms...

Tiny Umbrella Developer Reminds Us to Save Our iOS 5.0.1 Blobs

Are you enjoying your newly jailbroken devices as much as we are? If so, you may want to make sure that you have saved your iOS 5.0.1 SHSH blobs. If not, you could risk losing the ability to jailbreak in the future.

It's been over a month since Apple released iOS 5.1 beta 3, so it wouldn't surprise us to see a public release sometime in the near future. And from what we've heard, the new software will patch the Corona exploit...

Use Your iOS Device to Control Your TV and More with the VooMote Zapper

The iOS accessory space has seen a number of universal remote control add-ons over the last few years. There's the Peel, and the Griffin Beacon — both of which allow you to control your entire entertainment center with your iOS device.

But now there's a new kid on the block, the VooMote Zapper. And unlike the aforementioned accessories, it doesn't require an external infrared receiver. The Zapper plugs directly into your device's 30-pin dock connector, and doesn't require batteries...

iPhone Developers Now Required to Submit Retina App Screenshots

As noted by MacRumors, Apple has notified its iOS developers that future app updates and submissions are now required to include screenshots that meet Retina resolution specifications.

The requirement applies to both iPhone and iPod touch developers, and it looks like Apple won't be approving apps that don't qualify...

Change Your iPhone’s Keyboard Layout From Qwerty to Dvorak

The Dvorak keyboard layout was patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak (thanks Wikipedia). Proponents of the layout believe that it requires less finger motion than the traditional QWERTY style, allowing you to type faster with fewer errors.

If you happen to be a fan of the Dvorak layout, or would just like to see what it looks like, a new jailbreak tweak has just surfaced in Cydia that will install the keyboard on your iOS 5 device...

Developers Caught Manipulating App Store Rankings

An interesting thread sprouted up in TouchArcade's forums over the weekend entitled the "Biggest FRAUD in the Top 25 Free Ranking." The thread spotlights a recently discovered problem with some app developers using seedy marketing services to move their apps up in the App Store rankings.

Walterkaman, who started the thread, said, "I came across this ad network which guaranteed to get my app into the Top 25 in the App Store for $5000." The service uses bot farms to automatically download their clients' apps to drive up their rankings. And not only does this work, but it works well...

Rumor: Apple TV Set Already in the Hands of Canadian ISPs

So this is pretty interesting. The Globe and Mail, Canada's largest newspaper, is reporting this evening that Apple is actively looking for Canadian launch partners for its rumored television set.

The report claims that the Cupertino company has recently approached both Rogers and Bell, two major Canadian carriers, about the product, and that the two operators already have the TV in their possession...