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.

iPad 2 Jailbreak Release Coming Soon!

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

If you have jailbroken your iDevice before, you should recognize the name Chronic Dev. Much like the notorious iPhone Dev Team, Chronic Dev plays a large part in the jailbreaking community.

Their software, GreenPois0n, made jailbreaking as easy as plugging in your device to a computer.

Although they've been relatively quiet lately, it appears they plan to come back in a big way. Chronic Dev team member Joshua Hill, aka @p0sixninja, mentioned on Twitter yesterday that his team was focused on finishing their iPad 2 jailbreak.

Since a jailbreaking solution has yet to become available for the iPad 2, this is pretty big news. The 4.3.1 exploit released last Sunday by the Dev Team does not work on Apple's latest tablet, and there has been no word from Comex on his current progress.

When will the iPad 2 jailbreak be finished? @p0sixninja tells a Twitter follower that they are in early stages, and jokes that progress depends on which way the winds blowing. Since he uses the word "finishing" in his early Tweet, I have to assume he was just kidding.

Tech site Redmond Pie believes the iPad 2 jailbreak will be packaged in with the new version of GreenPois0n, which is expected to be released soon and work on all iDevices.

Keep checking back and we will keep you updated on the latest iPad 2 jailbreak news.

Anyone dying to jailbreak their iPad 2?

Apple Admits to Problems With Verizon iPad 2

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 26, 2016

A complaint posted on an Apple forum back on March 15th has been getting a lot of attention over the last couple of days. The thread is about a customer's issue with his iPad 2 3G not connecting to Verizon's network.

Since its inception, hundreds of users have turned out to add their names to the list of affected units. All of them citing the exact same issues, and trying to offer each other home grown fixes.

One commenter writes:

"Add my name to the list. I've had problems after waiting to turn on my cellular service for a week. Tried to activate today and had all sorts of trouble getting the cellular service to come on..."

He ends the posting with:

"I paid too much for this kind of garbage."

I believe his feelings are shared throughout the forum, as the only known fix right now is to leave the iPad 2's 3G data service on all the time.

Otherwise users are reporting that they are having to wait anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours for their 3G service to activate after it's been shut off.

After weeks of replacing defective units, Apple has broken the silence. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Apple admits knowledge of the Verizon iPad 2 glitch and is looking into it.

The article states that an Apple spokeswoman claimed that a "small number" of Verizon iPad 2 customers have been experiencing connectivity problems. She said that Apple is aware of the issue and is investigating it. She wouldn't give The Journal the number of iPads effected or a release date for the patch.

But if you have a Verizon iPad 2 and are experiencing these issues, hang in there. Given the amount of media attention this glitch has received, Apple should be pushing out a fix in no time. We'll let you know as soon as it's available.

Have you been experiencing this issue on your Verizon iPad 2?

qTweeter Allows You to Update Your Twitter and Facebook Status by Sliding Your Finger

Cody Lee ∙ April 9, 2011

qTweeter by Efiko has been around for quite some time. Sebastien even mentioned it in his list of some of the best jailbreak apps last year. The funny thing is, I hadn't really feigned interest in trying it out until I came across it in my Cydia Changes log yesterday.

While I had heard about qTweeter before, for one reason or another I never downloaded it. I guess I never considered myself the kind of social networking power user that would need something like that. Well I'm still not a social networking king but I gotta say my curiosity got the better of me and I just had to try out this popular Twitter app...

Show Off Your Jailbreak Spirit With an iDB Boot Logo

Cody Lee ∙ April 9, 2011

Everything is so much calmer now that the new jailbreak has been released. We've all upgraded and re-hacked our iDevices and, if you're like me, you are still in rebuilding mode. Re-customizing your iDevice can be fun though. You can change almost anything you want, from the icons to the start up screen.

If you've been looking for a new start up animation to try out, give our iDB boot logo by Ryan Pushong a try. It's located in the BigBoss Cydia repo, but there's just one thing you need to check first...

The Best Buy and iPad 2 Saga Continues

Cody Lee ∙ April 8, 2011

If you haven't heard the latest Best Buy and iPad 2 gossip, let me fill you in. Reports started floating around the internet last Thursday that Best Buy employees were falsely telling customers that they were out of iPad 2 stock.

An anonymous tipster, claiming to be a Best Buy employee, gave CruchGear the dirt. He claimed that the retailer was holding iPad 2 inventory after having met their internal sales quota for the day.

All kinds of rumors flew over the weekend in response to the story. Many sites reported that Best Buy's shady iPad 2 sales techniques had gotten them into hot water with Apple. TUAW even received a tip that the retailer was pulling all iPad 2 stock except for demo units.

Although it was confirmed by BGR that Best Buy management was indeed directing retail employees not to sell iPad 2s on Thursday, the initial purposed reason for them withholding the popular tablet was a bit off.

Best Buy decided to clear the air a bit today in this email sent to the popular tech site:

Best Buy continues to receive iPad 2 inventory from Apple on a regular basis. As we've said previously, we are fulfilling customer reservations first. Our stores have been asked to temporarily hold non-reserved iPad 2 inventory for an upcoming promotion. This is a customary practice for us when there are supply constraints. Best Buy enjoys a great partnership with Apple, and we're delighted by customer response to iPad 2."

It seems like Best Buy is just following Apple's guidelines, so is there anything to be excited about here?

The statement from Best Buy failed to address the claims that retail staff was being asked to mislead the customers. It does, however, mention an upcoming promotion.

The Loop, which has a decent track record for Apple intel, thinks this might be alluding to an iPad 2 promotion. Could we finally see carrier-subsidized iPad 2s? We'll keep you updated on this story as it develops.

What do you think?

Current Cable Subscribers Can Watch ESPN for Free on Their iPhones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

We told you how to watch every game of March Madness on your iPhone, but what do you do now that the tournament is over? If you are still looking for a free way to get your sports fix on your iPhone, then pay attention.

Streaming content to mobile devices is a hot topic right now. Time Warner Cable has recently gotten into hot water over their iPad app that streams TV channels to subscribers' devices. While it looks like some networks are unhappy with the way the digital revolution is going, others are embracing it.

ESPN liked the idea of streaming content to user's devices so much that they made their own iOS app for it...

Toys R' Us to Begin Selling the iPad 2 Next Month?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

The iPad 2 has been quite the success story. The device that had to live up to the name "magical," continues to do so with analysts predicting iPad 2 sales beyond 40 million units.

It appears like Apple is looking to meet the high expectations by making the device available almost anywhere. The iPad 2 has been sold in several retail chains so far, such as Target and Walmart. It even turned up at RadioShack late last month.

Now Apple could be looking to target a younger demographic by offering the iPad 2 at Toys R' Us retail stores across the country. ModMyi is reporting that they received a tip a few days ago from a Toys R' Us employee that the chain had been training its entire staff on the device.

The employee even sent the blog a picture (see below) of the iPad 2 training material as proof. The move would certainly be a logical one on Apple's part. Toys R' Us already sells iPod products, this would be a way for Apple to market their tablet to a different audience.

As the iPad 2 story continues, we will keep you updated on the latest place to buy the popular tablet, as we all await a jailbreak solution.

Have you snagged your iPad 2 yet?

Start Up Looking to Change the Way the iPhone 4 Shoots Video

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 10, 2017

If you've been looking for a way to shoot 360-degree videos with your iPhone 4, get out your checkbook. The start up company EyeSee360 has a working prototype of a lens that will fulfill all of your multidirectional photography needs.

The company isn't just hoping to change the way we shoot videos on the iPhone, they want to change the way we interact with videos completely. EyeSee360 has decades of research in robotic vision and image rendering under the hood of their GoPano micro concept. Their lens not only lets you capture 360-degree videos, you can manually pan around the video during playback...

iOS Expected to Trail 30% Behind Android by Next Year

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 13, 2019

We reported a few days ago on IDC's claims that Windows Mobile OS market share would one day overtake iOS. Now Gartner, a world leader in information technology research, is making similar predictions. But they've got Google's Android OS on top by a long shot.

The numbers are quite staggering. The firm predicts that in 2011, smartphone sales will reach 468 million units worldwide. That would be about a 50% increase from the 300 million units that analysts believe shipped last year. Why is Gartner predicting Apple's smartphone will only snag 19% of that market?

Time Warner iPad App Controversy

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

The app has already been out for a few weeks, but Time Warner's iPad software is still making headlines. Although at first it offered most of the content available to their TV customers, they have recently been forced to pull several channels due to complaints.

Broadcasters Viacom and News Corp. have led the charge against Time Warner's new streaming application, Viacom even has a pending lawsuit with TWC, seeking damages.

"Viacom has made clear that it is willing to discuss extension of similar rights to others - including TWC. What Viacom cannot do, however, is permit one of its contracting partners, TWC, to unilaterally change the terms of its contractual relationship."

Viacom intends to block Time Warner Cable from distributing its content on new devices, from tablets to Smart TV apps, until additional payments have been negotiated. Time Warner Cable recently posted on their blog regarding their disagreement.

They claim that the networks are simply imposing new "artificial limits" on the screens its subscribers use. Apple Insider quotes the TWC blog as saying:

"Instead of rowing down the river of history and into the future, Viacom, FOX, and Discovery have chose to sit on the bank and kick rocks."

But TWC seems to have brushed off the quarrel. Shortly after removing programming, they added new channels including ABC, Disney, and A&E.

Time Warner Cable's free app has seen over 300,000 downloads since it was introduced in late March. It allows TWC subscribers to watch TV inside their homes and requires Wi-Fi.

It seems like the iPad would just be considered another TV in a household. If the app only works in subscriber's households, why are networks like Discovery and Fox so upset about it?

What do you think?

iCade Turns Your iPad Into a Mini Arcade Machine

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

Most of us remember going to the arcade as kids. But gaming has changed a lot since those old coin operated machines. Now most of our video games can fit in our hands and pockets.

If you've been longing for a way to relive the good old days, iCade might be just what you are looking for. What started out as an April Fools day joke last year has become a must have accessory for any iPad-toting arcade fan.

ThinkGeek is well known for their offerings of goofy gadgets. Their products range from wrist chargers to light sabers, and everything in between. They could be on to something though with one of their latest inventions, the iCade.

Essentially the product looks like a mini arcade system. It contains a joystick and 8 buttons, as well as a place for your iPad to sit vertically. iCade pairs with your iPad via bluetooth and allows you to play games via the arcade controls.

The product is currently listed as shipping in early June for $99.99. The iCade will initially only be able to work with select games inside the Atari iPad app, but the code will be available to developers for future implementation. Check out the video below to see the iCade in action at CES earlier this year.

What do you think of the iCade?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VShbi-hSjhQ

Apple Patent Hints at Possible Hybrid Electronic Paper Display in iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 2, 2018

Patents are extremely interesting. They tend to show what a company's capable of. We generally don't get to see this in consumer products, as they are derived from marketing research and cost effectiveness calculations. But it would certainly be interesting to see all of the crazy ideas that get flung around Cupertino's campus and never hit retail stores.

Luckily, Apple's patent filings give us a glimpse of what they've been working on. Their latest filing, uncovered by Patently Apple, describes a display that can switch between high resolution color and electronic paper for reading books. This would certainly entice iDevice hold-outs that just couldn't ditch their e-reader's ink print...