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Feeling overloaded with BlackBerry news and rumors? We know the feeling. We hear new things almost every day, and it can be tough to keep up with it all. that’s why we’re bringing you BlackBerry News from the Wire every Thursday.

We’ll catch you up on everything ‘Berry that happened over the course of the week. Not only that, but we’ll rank ‘em by importance, so you can more easily skim the items and read the ones of most significance. If you only have time to read one article, for instance, you might want to head down to our 5-star section. It’s All the BlackBerry News Fit to Geek.

BlackBerry 9700 heading to AT&T, T-Mobile
It’s been quite a few weeks for the BlackBerry Onyx. We’ve been talking about this device for a while, and there is already a hands-on review up on CB. The model number was originally the 9020, which is where this all started. A few weeks ago we saw something about the BlackBerry 9700, and it looked curiously like the Onyx. RIM does change model numbers, and perhaps the addition of the optical trackpad was the reason for this one. This week we got a bit more. The 9700 showed up in AT&T’s system. Then we saw the 9700 with T-Mobile branding in the wild. So T-Mobile will finally get its hands on a 3G BlackBerry. Again, there’s no word on release date or price, but this one can’t be too far off.

26 reasons why the BlackBerry beats the iPhone
Unlike many Berry fanatics, we have some love for the iPhone here at BBGeeks. And why not? It’s a sleek device that runs some killer software. Is it good? Yes. Could it be better? Of course. Perhaps no one knows that better than Anton Wahlman. He’s written up BlackBerry’s 26 advantages over the iPhone. We’ve seen lists like this in the past, but Anton’s is the most comprehensive yet. His reasons runs from the basics — BlackBerry has multiple models across all carriers — to stuff I really didn’t know. For instance, that the iPhone has trouble carrying a large address book. Check out the whole list.

The RIM browser desperately needs an update
Yes, the headline is obvious. The BlackBerry browser is just not up to par. This is significant, because RIM has made some upgrades to it in recent OS builds, and it still doesn’t pass muster. Robb from RIMarkable notes his 10 reasons why the browser needs more, with reasons ranging from no Java support to memory drain. His Reason No. 8 about third party browsers is actually a good thing. Maybe the advancement of third party browsers like BOLT, Opera, and Skyfire will motivate RIM to upgrade thrown own browser.

RIM patents odd form factors
When QWERTY keyboards started making regular appearances on phones, manufacturers seemingly went to lengths to create strange form factors to house them. This culminated with the Sidekick, the T-Mobile devices which slide out all which ways. Nokia also has some strange but unique forms for some of its smartphones. It appears RIM is kicking the tires, as they’ve produced some odd drawings of non-traditional form factors. Make sure to head over and check out all six. I vote: No, No, No, No, Maybe, No.

Skyfire launches new Alpha
A few weeks ago Skyfire had to temporarily halt its Alpha test because some unscrupulous testers leaked the browser on the Web. It happens, and Skyfire did the right thing by holding up the stop sign. Now the green light is back on, and they’ve released version 3.5 of their Alpha. There are a few new features, including the all-important improved scrolling. You can’t have a browser that scrolls poorly. Also, this new version allows you to set Skyfire as the default browser. That’s something that will come in handy once this gets released to the public. Hopefully that’s not too far off, but I’d rather them take their time and get it right.

BlackBerry Developer’s Blog now live
This week marked the launch of the BlackBerry Developer’s Blog, a place that helps spread the message of the community. Mike Kirkup runs it, and he kicked things off with a embedded media content automatic playback how to. This blog won’t be for everyone. But if you have some technical savvy, or just want to check out what’s going on behind the scenes in software development, make sure to drop by and say hi.

Comparing BlackBerry models. Because America has both GSM and CDMA networks and there are BlackBerry devices made for each, it’s tough to compare some models side to side. Here’s a video attempting that.

Some sexy BlackBerry skins. Cooper once again presents a few BlackBerry skins worth checking out.

Bad service drains your battery. Perhaps the most battery-draining activity for a BlackBerry is checking for signal. If you routinely leave your service area, either because of a large drop zone or going underground, check out Radio Saver, which can help you save battery life in these situations.

Checking out Tweetcaster. It’s not just another BlackBerry Twitter client. It might be the best one with just a few minor upgrades.

Create your own BlackBerry quick launch icons. If you visit certain parts of the Web frequently, you might want to make yourself some quick launch icons to get there quicker.

Three new BlackBerry themes. It’s Theme Review Wednesday, and we take a look at three premium BlackBerry themes.

UberTwitter releases Beta 4. Tweetcaster might be quickly rising, but UberTwitter is still the gold standard. It gets a ton of new features in this new beta, including, unfortunately, advertising.

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