Much to the chagrin of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Devices and Entertainment honcho Robbie Bach, the Wall Street Journal reports that even publicly stomping on employee iPhones hasn’t stamped them out:

Nearly 10,000 iPhone users were accessing the Microsoft employee email system last year, say two people who heard the estimates from senior Microsoft executives. That figure equals about 10% of the company’s global work force.

Outside of specific development units like Bing for iPhone, while using an iPhone at Microsoft isn’t forbidden, it’s discouraged. Microsoft will only re-emburse expenses for Windows Phone-based devices. Likewise, several executives have spoken out against using iPhones, including Ballmer who quipped that his father worked at Ford and so his family always drove Ford.

While a few use the openly, others hide them in generic cases — or make sure not to answer them if they’re in a room with Ballmer. (Or use them if they’re a member of the Gates family!)

Apple employees, of course, are not thought to be using Windows Mobile devices in any perceptible quantity. Could Windows Phone 7 Series change that…?

10% of Microsoft Employees Secretly Using iPhones? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook stepped up and filled in for Steve Jobs during Jobs’ leave of absence last year, and has been given a discretionary bonus of $5 million, along with 75,000 shares of Apple stock (currently worth just shy of $17 million), by way of thank you bonus.

Keeping Apple not only stable but thriving during the absence and then-uncertain future of their famous CEO, however, was no doubt invaluable to Apple and its shareholders.

Congrats to Tim Cook then. Don’t spend it all on iPad pre-orders (though that would certainly explain the 91,000 units in the first 6 hours!)

Tim Cook’s Bonus: $5 Million Cash, $17 Million Stock. Filling in for Steve Jobs: Priceless is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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iPad pre-orders went live at 5:30am PT, 8:30am ET and in the 6 hours that follow, Fortune relays that Apple has moved 91,000 of the magical and revolutionary new devices. (50,000 in the first 2 hours!)

The estimates are based on a bunch of impatient investors on the AAPL Sanity Board inputing and tracking order numbers via Google Spreadsheets. Even if they’re not spot on accurate, they show a good amount of movement for a device many dismissed right out of the gate.

TUAW meanwhile is hearing in-store reservations for iPad Wi-Fi is 41,000.

What do you think, are those good numbers for Steve Job’s most important product launch? Were you expecting more, less?

91,000 iPads Pre-Ordered in 6 Hours? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

The AT&T Navigator app and TomTom are my two favorite GPS solutions; TomTom just took the lead with this most recent update.

One of the benefits of the AT&T Navigator app was the ability to search real-time and navigate to a location via the web. Now, TomTom is bringing us that functionality via Google Local Search, and more! Here is a list of changes in the most rescent update, 1.3:

• Real-Time traffic- The best traffic information available today (an additional $19.99)
• Google Local Search- Access the latest listings from within TomTom
• The Latest Maps- The most accurate map
• Music Fading- Instead of music pausing, it fades when navigation is spoken
• Automatic Day/Night Mode- TomTom now calculates the sunrise and sunset and changes the map accordingly
• Add Locations- From other apps and websites

There are some other nuances too such as button placement and how the iPod controls work, but they are definitely for the better. It is disappointing that the traffic component costs an additional $19.99, but to me the Google Search alone is worth this update. Check out some pics after the break!

TomTom updated to 1.3 now with Google Local Search! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog