New iOS, Fanbois And A Billion-dollar Bribe

There's plenty to talk about in this week's episode of BYTE Mobile Radio.

This is a new 15 minute podcast hosted by me and veteran podcaster Craig Johnston. In episode two, we'll be talking to BYTE's own Fritz Nelson about the fanboy/troll attacks on any coverage criticizing Apple (ouch), the new iOS 4.3 release plus some spec comparisons of the iPad2 versus some of the other tablets shipping now or soon.

Apple's iOS 4.3 arrived Wednesday, two days sooner than anyone expected. It's the software behind 160 million Apple iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad devices. We'll talk about how to get it and why you'd want it in the enterprise -- or for yourself.

Steve Jobs said it's a "post-PC" era now where specs don't matter, but I, for one, disagree. What's inside matters at least as much as the experience. To me, anyway. Fritz and Craig will weigh in. Want to know how the iPad2 compares spec for spec with the Motorola Xoom and other tablet on the market? We'll give you the skinny.

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And we'll talk about comScore's most recent numbers, showing Android gaining a narrow edge over Blackberry -- getting it a first place spot in the U.S. marketplace. We'll give you the comScore stats on how RIM, Apple, Microsoft, and Palm stack up.

We'll also discuss Microsoft's billion dollar deal with Nokia. To me, the investment looks like a fancy name for a Microsoft takeover of Nokia. We'd love your comments on what you think about Elop's denying he said Microsoft was paying in the "Bs" (I was there!) and about the imminent death of Symbian. As for me, I think the whole thing is just plain sad.

Fritz and Craig will chime in on the rumored merger between T-Mobile USA and Sprint, Hewlett-Packard's new CEO, and Crackberry's forecast of what the future holds for RIM. Fifteen minutes of mobile madness awaits. Join us this afternoon when the Click Here to Listen link appears below the BYTE Mobile Radio graphic above.

For Informationweek, TechWeb, and the upcoming BYTE.com, I'm Gina Smith.