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.

Time Warner Channels Back on iPad App

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

We told you about all of the fire Time Warner Cable was under after releasing its new iPad application. The popular software saw tremendous success until networks starting interfering.

Discovery and Fox networks pressured TWC into removing their channels from the app. Viacom forced Time Warner to remove 11 of their channels from the application, and is currently in litigation with the cable giant.

Today we bring you an update on the situation, as several media outlets are reporting that some of the pulled channels are starting to reappear in the iPad app.

The returning channels include Discovery Channel, TLC, and Animal Planet from Discovery networks, and National Geographic, FX, and Fox News from Fox. Obviously due to their legal dispute, Viacom channels still remain excluded.

What's really interesting is that competing cable company, Cablevision, has recently rolled out its own iPad application that allows customers access to close to 300 channels. TWC is currently offering around 50 channels, depending on the subscriber package.

The difference might be in the technology used to stream the content. While TWC broadcasts the video over the internet, Cablevision streams the media via Wi-Fi from their digital cable boxes. However, both methods require the user of the iPad app to be in their home to view the content.

The good news is that major cable networks are starting to realize that we are in the 21st century. Times are a changing, and only the companies that figure out how to adapt will survive. We'll keep you updated on future news regarding the iPad app lawsuit.

What do you think?

[Tuaw]

Kick it Old School with SNES on Your iPad

Cody Lee ∙ April 16, 2011

Console emulators have been around the jailbreak scene for a long time. Those that aren't familiar with emulators, they basically allow you to play copies of console games, while not on that console.

SNES HD turns your jailbroken iPad into a Super Nintendo system. Not only that, it allows you to connect up to 2 other iDevices to use as controllers.

It's free, and all you need is a jailbroken iPad and iPhone or iPod touch. Wanna try it out? I'll give you an easy tutorial to get you started.

Step 1. Make sure you have a jailbroken iPad and iPhone or iPod touch (both devices must be jailbroken).

Step 2. Open Cydia on both iDevices, and go to the Sources tab. Add the following source by selecting Edit > Add : http://wherethewoozlewasnt.com/cydia/

Step 3. After the sources are done loading, you need to install SNES (HD) on your iPad and ControlPad onto your iPhone/iPod touch. Both apps can be found by searching for them in the Cydia Search tab.

Step 4. Almost done! Make sure bluetooth is activated on both devices, and load up the downloaded applications. You should see an SNES console on your iPad, and an SNES controller on your iPhone.

Step 5. If the controller doesn't connect right away, touch the bluetooth search icon. Once paired, press the power button to start your game!

If you are wondering why you don't have any games, it's because it doesn't come with any. Console games are copyrighted, and it is illegal to host or download them. And we certainly don't condone piracy.

There are, however, several websites that do offer them, but clearly state that you must have the original game in your possession. These copies of the game are known as "backup copies" which are legal to have, I've read.

If you can stomach the pain of locating games, it really is quite worth it. Games are surprisingly playable on the iPhone's touch screen. You can race against a buddy in Top Gear, or take them on in Street Fighter. That's it, now your kicking it old school.

Any questions?

True HD Enables Your iPhone 4 to Upload 720P Videos to YouTube

Cody Lee ∙ April 16, 2011

If you have ever uploaded a video to Facebook or YouTube from your iPhone 4, you might have noticed a drop in video quality. No, it isn't poor lighting, the resolution and frame rate are actually lowered. This is because a reduced quality video is produced before uploading, to save on internet bandwidth usage.

A 1280 x 720 video, 9 minutes in length, is about 700 MB natively. When trying to upload a video to YouTube or Twitter, the file size gets reduced to less than half that. To get full HD quality, you would typically need to transfer video from your iPhone to your computer and upload from there, but not with True HD...

Adobe Looking to Finally Bring Flash to iOS, Sort of

Cody Lee ∙ April 16, 2011

We've talked about Adobe Flash on iDB quite a bit. The absence of the platform plugin in iOS products has been a hot button issue since the original iPhone was released. For those who have been living under a rock for the last few years, let me break it down for you.

Adobe's Flash is used in close to 80% of the top 100 most visited websites, so needless to say, it's pretty popular. Apple, the maker of some of the hottest portable electronics right now, has barred Flash from its mobile platform for several reasons. And now it looks like after years of watching home-grown tweaks bring Flash content to iOS devices, Adobe might finally have an answer of their own...

Apple Gets Sued by Parent Over In-App Purchasing

Cody Lee ∙ April 16, 2011

Remember when we told you about the in-app purchasing changes that came with iOS 4.3? Apple removed the 15 minute window of password-free app purchasing in wake of consumer complaints. At the time, several angry parents were asking the FCC for an investigation into Apple's in-app purchasing practices.

Well, it appears that the recent update didn't make the situation blow over, because the complaints have started to materialize. A Pennsylvanian man adds his name to a long list of people in litigation with Apple, filing a lawsuit citing breach of contract and unjust enrichment...

Fahrenheit iPhone App Gives Current Temp on Your Home Screen

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

While everyone is making a wish list of iOS 5 features, please make sure to include something about an upgrade to the notifications system. Maybe while you're at it, ask for some form of a widget feature too. Not everyone needs them, but those of us who have experienced them on other smartphones would love to see them in iOS.

The biggest benefit they bring is information at a glance. I'm currently using the WeatherIcon tweak to help me cope with the lack of the feature. At least I don't have to pop into the weather app anymore. For folks operating on non-jailbroken devices, Fahrenheit basically accomplishes the same thing...

Wiimote and iPhone Make Beautiful Music Together

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

It seems like you can never get enough high-tech innovation, especially when it involves using ordinary products to accomplish extraordinary things. We've shown you 3D graphics on the iPhone 4 in the past and even lenses that give the iPhone 360-degree video capturing abilities. What could they possibly come up with next?

Let me introduce you to Tim Soo. On top of being a medical student, he also happens to be a hacker/musician. His Kickstarter video asking for donations to fund an interesting project has really been making its rounds on the internet recently...

Future Apple TV to Use Laser Projection Tech?

Cody Lee ∙ April 15, 2011

Although in many cases they don't make it to consumer products, patents kind of give us an inside look at what a company is working on. Trust me, there's no better company to peek in on than Apple.

Their latest patent filing to make its way around the web, describes hybrid laser projection technology. Before you start thinking Star Wars, let me explain.

Apple describes the hybrid laser projection technology as a system that can be used to display images using coherent laser light as opposed to incoherent incandescent light of normal projectors.

The benefits include lower production costs and higher quality images. It also notes that combining an incoherent light source with a coherent one would consume less power and could reduce the size and complexity of light projecting systems.

How could they use this technology in their products? 9to5Mac seems to think they might be integrating it in an Apple-branded TV set. That's not a bad prediction considering all of the recent Apple TV rumors, but I've got another idea.

Remember the LG Expo? It was an LG smartphone with a built-in micro projector. You could project captured and downloaded content onto any flat service, with quite a sizable viewing area.

The phone was essentially a flop but the technology was still fascinating. Now there are dozens of pico projectors on the market, many of them even compatible with Apple products.

I could definitely see Apple doing something along similar lines. They have a history of bringing innovative technology to the average person by making it simple and sexy.

Imagine an Apple TV device, much like the ATV2, that has a built-in high definition laser projector. It has outstanding battery life and content can be projected clearly on almost any surface. Maybe it even supports iOS apps and obviously AirPlay.

My head spins with the possibilities, you could have TV anywhere. You could set up multiplayer games anywhere. This would be a revolution, especially if it were priced and marketed properly, which Apple also has a knack for.

While the idea is intriguing, known projected light-obstacles like daylight and lack of available projection surfaces certainly stand in the way of it making its way to shelves anytime soon. Maybe Apple is just going to project the laser images into thin air, Minority Report-style.

What do you think?

Android vs. iOS – Why Google Wins No Matter What

Cody Lee ∙ April 15, 2011

Android vs. iOS is a popular debate topic, but it might just be happening at the consumer level. 9to5 Mac ran an interesting story this morning about some comments made by Google's Asia-Pacific president, Daniel Alegre."When the iPhone succeeds, Google succeeds," he mentions in an interview with AdNews.

This alone shouldn't catch anyone off guard. With over 100 million iPhones out in the wild using Google's little search bar built into Safari, why wouldn't Google be pleased with the iPhone's success?

iPhone App Prints a 3D Model of Your Face

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 25, 2016

We've seen some pretty cool ideas come from software developers and engineers involving the iPhone. Although many of these technology demos never make it to consumer products, it's always fun to see what people dream up.

This time we have an application that's already made it to the App Store, but the innovation it uses is still astounding. Trimensional is an app for the iPhone that has the ability to scan 3D objects. While that alone might seem boring, it's what you can do with the scanned image that's so interesting...

iPad Rocking U.S. PC Market

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 24, 2017

We talked last month about the problems that popular PC maker, Acer, was having hitting sales forecasts. The main issue seemed to be that the emerging, easy-to-use tablet market has been seriously appealing to consumers who are looking to replace older PCs.

Tablets are extremely portable, and aren't plagued by previous mobile device flaws like bad battery, poor performance, and small screens. An entry level iPad also costs the same amount as your typical entry level laptop or computer, so affordability isn't an issue.

The tablet revolution, which has been spearheaded almost single-handidly by Apple's iPad line, has certainly taken PC makers by surprise. According to the IDC, several major PC brands have seen a drop in sales this year as the iPad 2 continues to flourish around the globe.

In fact, Toshiba is the only company that has posted growth this year out of all of the PC manufacturers. Acer seems to have suffered the biggest drop in sales, as the company saw a drop off of nearly 40% in the first quarter of this year versus 2010.

The struggling PC manufacturer seems be having serious problems adapting to the major shifts in technology the industry has seen over the recent years. Although they do have tablets on the way, the are almost destined to become lost in the ever-growing stack of Android-toting tablets.

Are PC makers going to be forced to take a more Apple-like approach to compete with them head-on? Should they look to design and build both hardware and software in house? I don't know, but as Apple has proven time and time again, innovation seems to be the key to success in this industry. and everyone else seems to be playing catch up.

What do you think? What will PC makers need to do to compete in a post-PC era?

[BGR]

Jailbreak Your iPhone on 4.3.2 with PwnageTool Bundles

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

As most of you are already aware of, Apple released iOS 4.3.2 today. As usual, we recommend avoiding new Apple updates, as they can include patches to exploits used in the current jailbreak.

Since there has been no announcement from the Dev Team or anyone else that the 4.3.2 software is safe, we recommend to stay away. But for those of you who updated to take advantage of the FaceTime fix, or by complete accident, you're not completely hopeless...