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.

Steve Jobs to Adobe: “I Told You So”

Cody Lee ∙ November 9, 2011

With Adobe's recent announcement on the discontinuation of its mobile Flash plug-in, we are reminded of an open letter Steve Jobs wrote last year regarding the topic. The letter was in response to Adobe's public criticism of Apple for omitting the technology from its products.

In the public letter, Jobs lists several sensible reasons why Apple has decided not to include Flash support in its mobile products. The post explains these reasons clearly and thoroughly, and is a tribute to Jobs' remarkable writing abilities...

Hackers Warn Jailbreakers to Stay Away from iOS 5.0.1

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

There hasn't been much talk in the jailbreak community regarding progress with either an iOS 5 untethered jailbreak or a 4S jailbreak. But we just received word from infamous iDevice hacker pod2g that, if you're hoping for either one, stay away from the next iOS update.

Pod2g announced last night that the code-signing bug security expert Charlie Miller uncovered a few days ago could make jailbreaking "dramatically easier." And since Apple is aware of the issue and will likely patch it in iOS 5.0.1, he recommends not updating...

AT&T Releases International Calling VoIP App for iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years. Thanks to services like Vonage and Skype, and the increasing availability of broadband internet, VOIP has replaced many people's landline telephone service.

Now, AT&T is looking to get in on the action. A newly released app from the wireless carrier will enable users to place both domestic and international calls using VoIP technology. And surprisingly, it's affordable...

Adobe to Stop Work on Mobile Flash, Concentrate on HTML5

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Apple has taken a lot of heat over the last four years due to the fact that its mobile products lack support for Adobe's Flash platform. Since the iPhone's introduction in 2007, not one of Apple's mobile devices has included the plug-in.

Flash compatibility is a feature that Android device makers have often touted as an advantage over the iPhone and iPad. Well, they might want to come up with something else to brag about, as ZDNet is reporting that Adobe is canning development of mobile Flash...

How to Enable iOS 5’s Hidden Panorama Feature Without Jailbreaking

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2011

Yesterday, a hidden feature was revealed in iOS 5. It turns out that the panorama camera mode that Apple was rumored to be working on is actually baked into iOS. Shortly after the feature was exposed, jailbreakers were able to download a tweak to enable it.

But what if you're not jailbroken? With no iPhone 4S jailbreak available, and no word on an iOS 5 untether, not everyone's iPhone is hacked at the moment. Luckily, the folks over at FSM just posted a method to enable the Panorama feature — no jailbreak required...

Vooma’s Peel Case Gives Your iPhone a Second SIM Card

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2011

TechCrunch spotlights an interesting new case from the folks over at Vooma. The accessory adds a second SIM card slot to your iPhone. You might recognize some of Vooma's previous work, which includes other iDevice products like the iPod touch Peel 3G case.

We've seen cases like this before, which add a second line to the handset via an integrated SIM card slot. But this is the first time that we've seen one that is compatible with the new iPhone 4S. Don't get too excited though, as it does have one major caveat...

Apple Now Seeding iOS 5.0.1 to Select Users

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2011

Apple is anything but predictable these days with its iOS refresh cycle. Last week Apple released not one, but two beta versions of iOS 5.0.1 to developers. Needless to say, that's fairly unusual for the company on such an incremental update.

Apparently, the iPhone-makers are still baffled by the battery bug. Because now 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple is seeding iOS 5.0.1 to customers. The software is still considered to be in beta though, and is only available to select end users...

How Some Developers Are Already Taking Advantage of Siri

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2011

Siri is arguably the hottest smartphone feature of 2011. Even those without an iPhone 4S are familiar with Apple's edgy digital assistant. But although Siri has received a lot of media attention, it's still not anywhere near where it could be.

Not only can the feature not launch apps, it's not compatible at all with third-party software. And while folks are expecting Apple to eventually give developers access to Siri's APIs, some app builders have already found ways to take advantage of it...

Some Oregon Voters to Use iPads For Today’s Election

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

Not even Apple could have foreseen the impact its tablet would have across multiple industries. Health, education, enterprise, music — they've all been affected in one way or another by the popular slate. In fact, iPads are slowly replacing computers in public schools.

Now it appears that the iPad is set to take on another field. Politics. According to Yahoo News, Apple's tablet is going to be taking a key part in a special primary election in Oregon today to replace former US Representative David Wu...

As Predicted, Apple Store App Updated to Support Self-Checkout

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

We've been hearing about Apple's plans to implement some sort of a self-checkout system in its chain for over a week now. As a matter of fact, we've been expecting to see the feature added in an Apple Store app update since November 3rd.

As they say, better late than never. MacRumors was the first to spot the update in the App Store, which must have been uploaded sometime late last night. As promised, Apple added a number of features to the app, including self-checkout...

Belkin’s LiveAction Camera Stand and Remote For iPhone Coming Soon

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

iPhone photographers rejoice, Belkin has a new iPhone accessory in the oven that will take your picture-taking abilities to the next level. And judging by the company's recent FCC filing, it seems that the product is nearing completion.

The LiveAction is a two-piece combo accessory that includes both a camera stand for the iPhone and a remote control. Not only will this allow you to snap pictures from a distance, but it will also open up the doors for creative movie-making...

Hacker Uncovers Serious iOS Security Flaw

Cody Lee ∙ November 7, 2011

If there's one thing about iOS that even the skeptics can agree on, it's how much more secure it is than Android. Several security firms have found that Apple's mobile platform has far less malware than its Google-backed competitor.

The reason behind this is Apple's "walled garden" approach it takes with app approvals. Applications are thoroughly screened and must meet certain criteria before they are allowed in the App Store. That hasn't stopped one hacker extraordinaire from finding a really nasty bug...