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Down in Orlando at Lotusphere 2008, Research In Motion has announced a number of upgrades for the BlackBerry “that include enhanced messaging and collaboration, simpler management, enhanced security and expanded application development support.” Excuse me if I quote liberally, as this is a press release coming right from RIM.

“RIM continues to expand the capabilities of the multifaceted BlackBerry platform to allow an increasingly rich and productive mobile experience for our customers,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM. “The software enhancements demonstrated today will make BlackBerry smartphones more powerful than ever and even easier to manage.”

So what are the upgrades? Here they are, straight from RIM:

- Integration of “Documents To Go by DataViz” means you can edit Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files right on your BlackBerry. Previously, you needed a third-party app to edit Excel documents on your BB.

- Looking for an old email? It can be a pain in the ass if it’s no longer stored locally on your BlackBerry. But now you can search your entire server for the message you’re seeking.

- “Free-Busy Calendar Lookup - Users on the go will be able to check the availability of colleagues before sending a meeting request.”

- Advanced messaging features. If you’re running IBM Lotus Sametime and Microsoft Live Communications Server, you can integrate address books, and convert IM sessions to calls with ease.

There are also some IT upgrades, which include:

- BlackBerry Monitoring Service. To quote them, this will provide administrators with “enhanced monitoring, alerting, troubleshooting and reporting capabilities.”

- BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager. This will “increase deployment flexibility and simplify software upgrades by reducing the number of BlackBerry software components installed on end-user workstations.”

- Over-the-Air Device Software Upgrades. This does exactly what the name implies.

A few security upgrades are included too, including encrypted attachment viewing, a greater control for administrators over GPS, and more Bluetooth controls.

For the full gamut and descriptions, check out the official BlackBerry site.

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