Most of us can size up the functionality of a phone from its spec sheet, but a phone's practicality, usability and enjoyability falls to a whole other series of factors. Form factor is a biggie. In this clip, you'll see the Treo Pro literally sized up against the smartphone competition (including the Palm Centro, Motorola Q9H, the BlackBerry Bold, the iPhone 3G, the HTC Touch Diamond and more. If you're at work and can't play the audio track, just turn it off and you'll still get most of the effect. [CrackBerry]UPDATE: Video after jump:

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CrackBerry has a video unboxing of the BlackBerry Bold from Rogers, showing it side-by-side with other BlackBerry phones as well as the King iPhone. No real surprises here, as the Bold hasn't changed since our hands-on, but it's always nice to see a shiny new gadget emerge from its cardboard home. [Crackberry]

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For those of you who like to take a gadget apart to see how it works, the folks behind the CNN.cn store have done a thorough job of dissecting the new Blackberry Bold. They even offer handy tips on how to do it yourself—if you are stupid curious enough to do that sort of thing. [BBworld.info via Crackberry]

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The BlackBerry Bold has been out in Chile and Germany and drops in Canada tomorrow, so as much as analysts talk out of their arse, Citigroup analyst Jim Suva might not just be blowing hot air when he says that the Bold is plagued by the same 3G connection issues as the iPhone 3G (though 2.0.2 might've made them worse still). Apparently it has a similar penchant for dropping you to EDGE even when there's a perfectly decent 3G signal.

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A tiny mistake by online retailer Expansys has revealed two new quad-band BlackBerry clamshell phones. Some info on the 8220 has surfaced before, but the 8210 seems new. The phones are apparently very similar, with both having a 2.6-inch internal 240x 320 pixel screen, a small 160 x 128 external screen, and clamshell format. Both have SureType keyboards and a trackball, 2-megapixel cam and microSD expansion. But while the 8210 has in-built GPS, the 8220 sports Wi-Fi connectivity. There was no release date or price available on the leaked page before it was whipped down by Expansys. [Reghardware]

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I only read two sections of the WSJ, partly because it's behind a pay wall, though there are ways around it. Their new Mobile Reader for BlackBerry drops the entire paper for free, constantly updated, right to your phone in an interface that actually works. Silicon Alley Insider says it's the best newspaper app for any phone yet.

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Sure, Will.I.Am's "One More Chance" video looks like it was directed by RIM, what with it's huge BlackBerry billboard and a prominently featured Curve. But you know what? Everyone's gotta eat, and when we insist on BitTorrenting albums instead of buying them, we should expect this from musicians. Along with Jay-Z shilling beer and Bob Dylan peddling panties, Will found a way to continue making music in a climate of slumping record sales, and it only cost a little piece of his soul. Pirating music is the only choice for many of us today, whether it's out of convenience, cost, DRM or anything else, but we better be prepared to live with the consequence. BlackBerry ad down below. [CrackBerry]

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I'm loving this trend of prominent and/or English rockers with ambient/prog tendencies laying down soundtracks for gadgets and software. Most famously we have Brian Eno composing the "Windows Sound" for Win 95, then Robert Fripp of King Crimson helping out with Vista's sound set. Now Police drummer Stewart Copeland has done the same for the BlackBerry Bold, composing a five-note "theme" that will pop up in preloaded ring tones and alarm chimes, whenever the Bold gets around to shipping. Personally, if I ever replace my Van Halen "Jump" ringtone, I want it to be with some custom-composed robot squawking by someone like Daft Punk. Somewhere, John Mayer is shedding a single tear of envy. For sound samples hit up: [APC via CrackBerry]

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The brand spankin' new Flowberry theme is full of icons for the Blackberry owner who really wants to own an Apple product, like the iPhone or MacBook Pro, but can't quite commit. As you'll see from the video, there's a pseudo Cover Flow quality to the latest effort from bplay, but that's about it. And, just like the iTunes Store and other Apple products, the theme's home screen icons are locked in, giving you that DRM feeling without actually having to deal with DRM.

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RIM held the official Australian launch of BlackBerry Bold today. Considering that we've seen it all before, there wasn't too much to come out of the event, except that it will officially be launched on Telstra, Vodafone and Optus, starting mid-August. 3 is apparently also testing the device, although whether they'll release it is still yet to be seen.

As far as pricing goes, the networks are all still pretty quiet on what they'll be charging - the exception is Optus, who today announced the phone will cost $10 per month on a 24-month contract when partnered with their $79 BlackBerry plan.They've even set up a web page dedicated for users keen enough to pre-register their interest.

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