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There’s plenty of news this week about new BlackBerry devices, but to kick things off I want to highlight a story that seemed small at first, but grew as word spread throughout the week. T-Mobile has agreed to carry BlackBerry Mobile Voice Systems, a two-year-old platform that allows companies to reroute desk calls to a user’s BlackBerry. This ties in with T-Mobile’s @ Home service, which allows customers to make unlimited calls over a Wi-Fi network, without using any plan minutes. Combined, it means employees can receive calls whether at work or on the road, and if they are in a Wi-Fi hotspot will not be billed for the minutes used.

That diagram pretty clearly lays out the scheme. One cool aspect: not only will users be able to receive calls from their work desk phone, but they can also place calls using that number. That should be a relief to workers who don’t like giving out their cell phone numbers unless necessary. It also helps by allowing employees to hand out a single number, rather than a work and a mobile number. T-Mobile will negotiate plans with individual businesses, so there’s no universal pricing chart to relay.

The Storm 2 is coming…but maybe a little late (but probably not)

The good folks at Phone Arena have reviewed the BlackBerry Storm 2, so if you’re thinking about picking up one, you might as well start there. If you’re not one for text reviews, you can check out the video below.

Based on the preproduction model review, this seems like it will meet expectations. It won’t function like an iPhone, but then again it’s not really supposed to. RIM has corrected many issues with the original Storm, and the second generation looks to be the real deal — even though the browsing experience might not be all that great. In better news, it looks like the Storm’s launch will BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.

We saw signs that the Storm 2 is fast approaching. For starters, the original Storm has been removed from Telus’s website. I’m not sure why they would do that, unless they’re sold out and don’t plan to order any more. We also got word that the Storm 2 emulator hit the Verizon systems. This allows reps to check out the device without actually having it in hand. Yet RIM has left the device open for delay. We’ve heard October 25 over the past few weeks, and there’s no hard evidence on which to base doubt. However, this Gizmodo report notes that the device, along with the Curve 2, will hit “before Black Friday.” That’s November 27 this year, giving RIM and Verizon a little wiggle room, if needed.

Even so, there’s a training video for Verizon employees, so it can’t be that far off.

Full Flash player coming to BlackBerry

Adobe has talked about bringing Flash to mobile platforms since about halfway through the year. We first heard word of it in June, but plans then were for an October release on some platforms, with a BlackBerry release a bit later on. They haven’t quite made that deadline, but Adobe will bring Flash to some platforms later this year. They’ve announced that they’re working with RIM to bring it to BlackBerry, though there’s no word on when that will come, though it does appear that Windows Mobile and Android will come first. Mid-2010 seems like as good an estimate as any right now.

Next up for release: Bold 9700, Essex, Dakota

That is a pretty picture of a pretty device (via Engadget): the BlackBerry Bold 9700. We’ve been ogling this device for a while, and a release can’t be too far off. As if that picture wasn’t pretty enough, there’s a Vietnamese site that has a video of the device, side by side with previous generations.

There’s a good chance we’ll see the 9700 announced on October 21.

There was a video of the BlackBerry Atlas, which we first heard about last week, but it was since removed. That seems to happen a lot. But, thanks to Salomondrin, we got pictures of the BlackBerry Essex. As expected, it will feature a better camera, trackpad, and WiFi, making it a pretty substantive upgrade over the Tour — which is barely four months old.

And finally, sans multimedia, we learn more about the BlackBerry Dakota, again courtesy of Salomondrin. This is the device previously known as the Magnum: the elusive touchscreen + mechanical keyboard combination we’ve been waiting for. It’s a GSM device, featuring a trackpad (plus all the other goodies you see in current GSM BlackBerry devices). The coolest part: it will feature Liquid Lens Technology, about which you can learn more by clicking the link.

Tip of the week: Use a Bheestie bag to dry out a BlackBerry: There’s a lot of advice for drying out your wet electronics, but a new product, the Bheestie Bag, can dry out your BlackBerry without covering it with rice. The $20 pouch can dry a few electronic devices before it needs replacement.

RIM makes app creation easier for Web developers

This is one of those long-term moves: it happened now, but consumers will benefit later on, once developers take advantage. This week RIM opened up development to Web developers, taking off the Java-only requirement. Now those developers who code in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can create BlackBerry apps. It should lead to a greater variety in the future — and possible help promote the advancement of RIM software, which is lagging behind others in the smartphone industry. If this is all German to you and you want to read up on the new development, check out Bla1ze’s article on widgets over at CrackBerry.

Software releases and updates: BB Messenger, WordPress, Yatca, BOLT

A couple of notes on new software updates:

• BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 has been released. You can get it at App World, or OTA at http://www.blackberry/com/messenger.
• WordPress for BlackBerry has an update, which you can find at http://blackberry.wordpress.org/install. If you already have the app, it will notify you next time you boot up.
• The BOLT browser has shed its beta tag and has added a ton of features for its initial public release. This is my go-to browser for stuff the native version just can’t handle.
• Adding to our BlackBerry Twitter client rankings is our latest review, Yatca. Cooper has the comprehensive review. What do you think: where should this one rank on our list?

In terms of future software, we got word that the official BlackBerry Twitter client is coming November 16. I can’t imagine it being much better than the current crop of clients, though the home screen notifications will be nice. Also, Vonage will release a VoIP client for BlackBerry, for international calls. That should help save money, even if it cuts into carriers’ international calling revenues (which can’t be that high if they’re going to allow the app).

BIS 2.8 now on all North American carriers

You might not have noticed it, but BIS 2.8 launche dthis week. Here’s a rundown of the upgrades:

• Two-way wireless synchronization [every four hours] with Google Mail Contacts and the Address Book on the BlackBerry smart phone:
  • Synchronize Google Mail contacts quickly and easily to the BlackBerry smart phone
  • Add or edit Contacts and the Contacts are automatically updated, whether they are updated on the computer or BlackBerry smart phone
  • Note: Two-way wireless Contact synchronization with Google Mail Contacts requires BlackBerry® Device Software 5.0 and configuration through email settings on the BlackBerry smart phone.  Additional requirements and constraints may be found within the BlackBerry Internet Service 2.8 Documentation Kit. This feature is not supported on BlackBerry smart phones with BlackBerry® Connect™ software.

• Enhancements to email setup and settings:
  • Automatic Login now supports most billing identifiers, which allows new subscribers with wireless service providers that use PIN, IMEI, or ESN as a billing identifier to create BlackBerry Internet Service accounts from the BlackBerry smart phone, without having to create a login user name and password
  • Note: This feature will be available approximately one week after the BlackBerry Internet Service upgrade.

• Windows Live Hotmail revalidation:
  • With BlackBerry Internet Service 2.8, new Windows Live Hotmail mail integrations will be defaulted to a protocol that is designed so as not to require 90 day reauthorization.
    Note: Existing BlackBerry smart phone users accessing Windows Live Hotmail using Microsoft MSP will still be required to revalidate their Windows Live Hotmail account every 90 days.

RIM could lose market share — like we haven’t heard that before

It seems that after every quarterly earnings report, some pundit proclaims RIM’s dominance nearly over. We’ve been hearing this for over two years now, since the initial release of the iPhone. Yet RIM has only grown since then. So when I see an article about how RIM could lose market share, I have to wonder if it’s written by someone who said the same thing last quarter, and the quarter before.

To reinforce the point, there’s also a bit on how companies are switching from BlackBerry to the iPhone. I have a friend who works for a major consulting firm, and they encourage employees to use iPhones, mainly because of the BES charges that BlackBerry users incur.

Assorted links

This is our biggest News From The Wire yet, and it’s still not done. Here are some more stories I saw this week:

Best Buy is offering a syncing service that stores contacts, messages, calendars, call logs, and multimedia from a phone to a Web-based service. That’s pretty awesome. It’s free for up to a gigabyte. Check it out at http://www.miqlive.com/.

Ever see a dialog box asking if you want to grant Trusted Application status? Check out this FAQ to see what it means.

A short profile of Jim Balisillie at TheSpec.com.

Is someone spying on your BlackBerry?

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