Are you using OSE or PUEL VirtualBox? OSE is in the repos and comes without
usb support and PUEL is from VirtualBox.org. If you don't have usb support
then it would not show. If you are using PUEL then you may have to amually
select the usb device from the drop down in the usb icon on the status bar
(bottom right).

Full vitual box as downloaded from their website.I also installed of course,
guest additions.

Does it show in the drop down for usb devices on the status bar on the
bottom right of the Vbox window (not Windows itself)? If so what happens
when you check it?

Both BB device and USB mass storage listed, but greyed out.

Perhaps you need to install a driver in Windows before it will show as a
device. I can't help much because I don't own one. It is only a suggestion.
Perhaps someone could jump in who actually uses it in a VM.

Have you seen this: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=190938

I could be off base, but I believe you have to add your user name to
the usergroups in ubuntu or some such thing before I could get usb
working. It's been a while so I'm a bit cloudy on that. Once that is
done (and only after if I remember correctly) can you right-click on
"my computer" --> "manage devices", find the usb ports in the list
(they will have little yellow question marks on them) double click on
the ports, and then click on install driver allowing windows to
automatically install the driver. It doesn't matter if you don't
actually have a driver, as virtual box is actually providing the
driver through guest additions. You just need to go through the
process.

the driver was added automatically, as an Intel one.

I also added to Home the vboxusr user group.

Hi visual... does that mean it is working now... or still no?

The driver itself says it was installed and working, however the usb link is not
working.

Interestingly I just attached another phone via usb and added it to virtualbox
for win2k client, it could see the phone but couldnt install it, an issue I had
a coupe of hicups doing when win2k was the host anyway... But it doest see BB, I
added the BB in exactly the same way.

In case you didn't know, you do need to restart the windows OS in the
Virtual box after adding the drivers. I am in the habit of just suspending
it and never remember to restart. If restarting doesn't work, try
suspending the OS, and going to the settings for the VM, and click on the BB
while it was connected, and click on the option to make a filter. Then
start up the VM, and restart it through start -> shutdown -> restart again.
I don't know if any of that will work, but those are steps I remember trying
before I got usb connection for my winmo phone...