Token post from low ID user here...

Correct. Provided the Aircraft has had EMI testing done, using WiFi isn't a hazard. Using your cellular radio is a waste of time, as you just drain the battery above about 10,000', but WiFi and Bluetooth work nicely. It's the same reason some airlines (I'm looking at you, Air Canada) now only allow earbud headphones connected to their IFE system during taxi/takeoff/landing. It's so they can get your attention if 'shut goes wrong'.

Actually, most of the phones on planes use Satellites, since, well, there's no ground stations when you're flying over the ocean :) Aircell is the exception, but that only works over the continental US, and IIRC you need to be > 10,000 ft above ground.

The sat phone might not... but on the Iridium network you can get 2400bps of data (ppp). And yes, I've read + posted twitter updates over this.

I have exactly the same setup - personal MacBook Pro, running an official company sanctioned (and licensed) Windows XP image from the IT Dept. Works quite nicely. The image is backed up to Time Machine, so when I travel for personal reasons, I simply delete it and restore it when I come home.

It could get ugly legally, but with a decent lawyer you should be able to prove the logical separation, and let whomever needs it take the copy of the VM and do whatever they want with it while keeping your personal stuff intact and private. I wouldn't be surprised if this starts to become the norm in the tech industry, as it solves lots of problems for employees who frequently cross the work/home/life balance.

Note that I primarily work from home, which makes things a bit simpler.