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.

NFL Finally Releases Official iPad Application

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

While an NFL season is questionable, the draft seems to be right on schedule. On April 28th, last year's top college football players will participate in the NFL Draft where players are selected by professional teams.

The NFL iPad app will allow you to watch live video of the draft, along with several other great features. You can check which positions your favorite team needs help in and view a detailed breakdown of each player that gets drafted. You can even set the application to alert you when your favorite team is up for selection.

Outside of the exclusive draft coverage, the application is pretty bare. There is a section where you can read general news and view the entire NFL schedule, but that's pretty much it.

If a 2011 season does go on as planned, the NFL has mentioned that there will be a lot more content pushed out to users via an update. You'll most likely get the usual cocktail of features like in-game highlights and up to the minute league scoreboards.

I would be interested to see Fantasy Football get integrated into the application. Maybe even throw in some audio clips of popular players that are wearing microphones throughout the game.

Although it's kind of on the light side right now, if you're planning on watching the draft next week, this application would make a nice accessory. NFL 2011 for iPad is free to download from the App Store.

What do you think?

Mysterious iOS Location Tracking File Likely Just a Glitch

Cody Lee ∙ April 21, 2011

We reported yesterday on the iPhone location tracking bug that has been buzzing around the internet for the last 48 hours. It's been making headlines from tech sites to blogs of privacy advocate groups, like Epic (Electronic Privacy Information Center).

For those that haven't heard: A hidden file in iOS versions 4.0 and above has been found that actually records the user's location fairly frequently. I'm not talking about Facebook requesting your location, I mean it records your GPS coordinates with a time stamp to a secret file. Was this in the EULA (End-User License Agreement)?

Apple’s Cloud Service Almost Ready to Launch

Cody Lee ∙ April 21, 2011

We've heard a lot of talk regarding this cloud thing Apple's been working on. It's supposed to allow iTunes customers to store their media on a remote server, and then access it from anywhere they have an internet connection.

It's obviously coming. Apple built that huge data center in North Carolina and rented all that digital storage space for something. We've heard rumors that the service could launch right alongside a revamped MobileMe sometime this spring, but will Apple be able to meet expectations?

Kickstarter Project Brings Popular Movie to iPad App

Cody Lee ∙ April 21, 2011

Most everybody recognizes the movie Full Metal Jacket, or at least recognizes the name. The 1980's film based on the Vietnam War was instantly a classic, not only because of its epic storyline, but because of director Stanley Kubrick.

The experience was so amazing, that star Matthew Modine decided to keep a journal of his experiences on the set. This diary later turned into a book, which included on set photographs and personal accounts of working with the legendary director.

The limited edition book sold out quickly, and fans have continued to hope that a paperback edition would soon make its way to the shelves. Although Modine doesn't plan to publish any more copies of the diary, he might be looking to bring the book to life with a new iPad app.

Adam Rackoff is a huge Kubrick fan, and loves Full Metal Jacket. He also loved Modine's book enough that he approached the retired actor last year about his idea for an interactive iPad app that told the behind the scenes story of Full Metal Jacket. The app would feature audio of Modine reading his journal, and a wealth of scanned original photographs from the movie.

Although they've done a lot of work on the application, they've reached a halt in production. Lack of funds has forced the producer to launch a Kickstarter page to raise money for this hefty project. Rackoff currently has 80 backers that have pledged $6,601 so far. His goal is $20,000.

If you would like to see this app available in the App Store one day, pop over to the page and donate. You can pledge anything from $5 to $10,000 or more. The higher the donation, the cooler gift you get from Rackoff including authentic photographs from the set of the movie.

What do you think?

Apple Overtakes Nokia to Become Highest-Grossing Mobile Phone Vendor

Cody Lee ∙ April 21, 2011

Apple and Nokia have gone head to head in a couple of arenas. First it was the mobile phone market and then it was the court room. Although Nokia has typically faired better than the Cupertino company due to their extensive Global reach, Apple has been right on their heels.

At least they were on their hills, until yesterday. Everybody is talking about Apple's impressive 25 billion dollar quarter, heck they sold close to 20 million iPhones in just 3 months. But how much of their posted revenue is directly from mobile phones, and how does it compare to Nokia's earnings?

Counting iPhones, iPads, and iPods, iOS is Reaching More Users Than Android

Cody Lee ∙ April 21, 2011

We are always comparing iOS to Android in some form or another. From device performance to market share, we've held many debates on which is the greater platform.

While Android smartphones dominate Apple's in terms of market share, what about in terms of total mobile OS exposure? Out of phones, media players and tablets, which platform is the most popular?

Nearly a Million Apple TVs Sold Last Quarter

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Analyst Ming-Chu Kuo of Concord Securities is well known for his Apple supply chain connections. He correctly predicted the resolution of the iPad 2's display and a spring availability of the white iPhone 4.

Kuo noted yesterday that checks with his sources suggested Apple sold 820,00 Apple TV units in Q2 of this year, which ran from January to March. Apple announced some pretty staggering earnings for the quarter earlier today, where they posted 25 billion dollars in revenue.

Two-thirds of their revenue was said to come from iOS devices and their respective App Stores. Although Apple TV sales were minor compared to the 18 million iPhones sold, the device is doing far better than its previous installment.

The newly redesigned Apple TV2 not only saw a size reduction, but a major price reduction. The $99 product offers access to iTunes and Netflix, as well as a range of media streaming options from computers and iDevices.

When wondering if the Apple TV is still a hobby for the Cupertino company, I think the numbers speak for themselves. Hopefully its success will encourage Apple to further develop its TV line.

What do you think? Is Apple looking to up the anti with their TV offering?

[AppleInsider]

Apple Reports Impressive First Quarter Results

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 26, 2017

Stock holders, analysts, and media members alike joined in to listen to Tim Cook and other Apple executives read off Apple's Q1 earning results this afternoon. Although the numbers were released earlier today, the conference call included a Q&A session with some of Apple's execs.

The bottom line was obviously that Apple's Q1 earning results were staggering. They posted nearly $25 billion dollars in revenue and shipped over 18 million iPhones worldwide. What else did Apple disclose on the conference call?

FindOne Helps you Track Down iPad 2s

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

By now, we've reported on several different places to get yourself one of Apple's new tablets. Though availability has been fairly scarce, several retail stores including RadioShack and Toys R' Us have received late shipments of the iPad 2.

If for some reason you still haven't gotten your hands on the popular device, there's an app for that. Popular iDevice blog TiPb posted an interesting find today of an application called FindOne.

It works by querying various superstore databases to find iPad 2 product availability within the users given zip code. If an iPad 2 is available, the store's phone number and address get displayed.

You can even narrow your search to match the exact model you are looking for. Options include storage size and which wireless service you want built in, if any.

That said, there is a bit of a downside. Currently the application only works with Walmart and Target retail chains, but Best Buy and Toys R' Us compatibility are said to be on the way.

Folks still searching for an iPad 2 may find this application useful. It works on all iDevices and is a free download from iTunes.

Has everyone gotten their iPad 2s?

Iconic iPod Click Wheel Comes to the iPhone with iClassic

Cody Lee ∙ April 20, 2011

With all of Apple's touch devices these days, do you ever miss the classic iPods? Sure they didn't have as cool of games or shoot HD video, but there was definitely something sexy about that click wheel. It was responsive and made browsing your music collection faster than ever before.

If you are looking for a way to kind of relive the good old days, check out iClassic. The Cydia application for jailbroken iDevices will allow you to bring back the click wheel, on your current touch screen device. But can an application truly capture the experience of the click wheel?

Your iPhone Secretly Records Your Location Data

Cody Lee ∙ April 20, 2011

Most of you are probably aware that the iPhone can track your location. We've all seen the box pop up that says "Facebook would like to use your location data," and then you tap Allow or Cancel.

But how many of you knew that the iPhone constantly tracks your location and records your coordinates alongside a time stamp to a secret file? I assumed that police might have access to that kind of info through my wireless carrier, but I didn't know it was sitting in a file on my phone...

Just How “Green” is the iPhone? [Infographic]

Cody Lee ∙ April 19, 2011

Apple has been criticized by some environmental organizations for its recycling practices. These activists claimed that Apple was slow to remove toxic chemicals from their products and lacked a proper recycling plan for old products.

Steve Jobs addressed these complaints in a letter entitled "A Greener Apple." The consensus of the note was that Apple was currently (or would soon be) leading the pack in all measurable areas of environmental impact. Apple products like MacBooks and Mac Pros certainly seem environmentally friendly thanks to their aluminum builds, but what about the iPhone?