Motorola Clutch +i475 (Boost Mobile)
The $99.99 Motorola Clutch +i475 isn't so much a sequel to the $79.99 Motorola Clutch i465 as a teaser trailer for the next release. Think of it as the Clutch-and-a-half. Still, an extra $20 gets you a better screen and a bigger keyboard on top of an already capable device. So if you're looking for a cell phone to take advantage of Boost Mobile's low monthly rates, and need a device that's good for voice calls, text messaging, and push-to-talk, this will satisfy you.
Design, Keyboard, and Call Quality
The Clutch+ is attractive. Not dissimilar in look from a BlackBerry, the +i475 measures 4.2 by 2.3 by .6 inches (HWD) and weighs 4 ounces. Though it isn't built to be a rugged device, it feels plenty solid to me. The back of the phone is made of texturized soft-touch black plastic, while the front is shinier and not as soft; it looks good and feels comfortable. While the 2-inch LCD sports only 220x176-pixel resolution, I found it to look sharper than many other, similar phones. Default fonts are tiny, though they can be adjusted. My one design gripe: the screen is set asymmetrically to the right of the phone. This made me feel like the left corner of the screen was missing.
The QWERTY keyboard is one of this phone's main draws, and it worked wonderfully. While the individual keys are not particularly large, they are raised and separated in such a way that makes them easy to press. My hands are on the big side, and my fingers not so graceful, but I had no trouble typing long messages on the +i475. The selection keys are similarly useful; it was quite easy navigating my way through the phone's simple UI. The main menu is spread across multiple pages, which is annoying, but at least it's filled with big, clear icons.
The Clutch +i475 is an iDEN device with no Wi-Fi. Call quality was very good. Incoming calls sounded clear and rich, both in the phone's earpiece and over the booming speakerphone. Outgoing calls were similarly good. They sounded loud and clear, and the phone did a nice job with background noise reduction. Calls sounded great through an Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset ($99, 4 stars) and voice dialing worked fine, once properly trained. The Clutch also supports Boost's push-to-talk network, and PTT calls sounded great. Battery life was average at 5 hours and 39 minutes.
Apps, Features, and Conclusions
Boost's $50 per month plan offers unlimited voice calls, texting, and Web access, which is a pretty fantastic value. Better yet, that $50 monthly fee is reduced by $5 for every 6 payments you make on time, until you reach $35. Unfortunately, the iDen network has very slow Internet speeds; at 24kbps, it's the slowest digital mobile network in America. The phone's Myriad Web browser did a decent job rendering basic WAP pages, but it certainly wasn't quick. You can browse the Web if you really need to, but devoted Web warriors should look elsewhere.
As mentioned earlier, the QWERTY keyboard makes the +i475 a great messaging phone, and it's got the software to back it up. Text messaging is threaded, so each of your conversations is displayed neatly as a single thread. Web-based email and IM support is included for AOL, Gmail, Windows Live, and Yahoo users, and there's support for other IMAP and POP3 email accounts as well.
The Clutch is not a good media phone. It's hard to fit any music into 8MB of memory, or to find 2.5-mm headphones to listen to it with. The .3-megapixel VGA camera took terrible pictures. They were so blurry and unfocused that at first I thought a protective piece of plastic must have been left over the lens; alas, it wasn't. Think of this phone as camera-less to avoid disappointment.
A number of standard apps are built-in, including a calendar and voice recorder. There's also some Java apps, which include an alarm clock, calculator, and the Uno card game. That's about it, as far as extras are concerned. You can download additional ringtones, wallpapers, and games from Boost, but you can't use your own.
The Motorola Clutch +i475 is a good choice for Boost Mobile users looking for a device with solid voice calls, messaging, and push-to-talk. There are some other good options out there as well, but generally speaking, you have to sacrifice one of those three essential features. The Motorola Theory ($79.99, 3.5 stars), also boasts good call quality and a solid QWERTY keyboard on a faster data network, but you lose the push-to-talk capabilities. Really, the biggest competitor to the +i475 is its predecessor, the i465, which has nearly identical features for $20 less than the +i475. But for the nicer screen and the bigger keyboard, I'd stick with the +i475.
Benchmarks
Continuous talk time: 5 hours 39 minutes
- Pros Great voice quality. Solid QWERTY keyboard. Push-to-talk.
- Cons Poor camera. Dated features.
- Bottom Line The Motorola Clutch +i475 is a good choice for frequent talkers, texters, or push-to-talk users looking to take advantage of Boost Mobile's low rates.
Design, Keyboard, and Call Quality
The Clutch+ is attractive. Not dissimilar in look from a BlackBerry, the +i475 measures 4.2 by 2.3 by .6 inches (HWD) and weighs 4 ounces. Though it isn't built to be a rugged device, it feels plenty solid to me. The back of the phone is made of texturized soft-touch black plastic, while the front is shinier and not as soft; it looks good and feels comfortable. While the 2-inch LCD sports only 220x176-pixel resolution, I found it to look sharper than many other, similar phones. Default fonts are tiny, though they can be adjusted. My one design gripe: the screen is set asymmetrically to the right of the phone. This made me feel like the left corner of the screen was missing.
The QWERTY keyboard is one of this phone's main draws, and it worked wonderfully. While the individual keys are not particularly large, they are raised and separated in such a way that makes them easy to press. My hands are on the big side, and my fingers not so graceful, but I had no trouble typing long messages on the +i475. The selection keys are similarly useful; it was quite easy navigating my way through the phone's simple UI. The main menu is spread across multiple pages, which is annoying, but at least it's filled with big, clear icons.
The Clutch +i475 is an iDEN device with no Wi-Fi. Call quality was very good. Incoming calls sounded clear and rich, both in the phone's earpiece and over the booming speakerphone. Outgoing calls were similarly good. They sounded loud and clear, and the phone did a nice job with background noise reduction. Calls sounded great through an Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset ($99, 4 stars) and voice dialing worked fine, once properly trained. The Clutch also supports Boost's push-to-talk network, and PTT calls sounded great. Battery life was average at 5 hours and 39 minutes.
Specifications
- Service Provider
- Boost
- Screen Size
- 2 inches
- Screen Details
- 220-by-176, 65K-color TFT LCD screen
- Camera
- Yes
- Network
- iDen
- Bands
- 800
Boost's $50 per month plan offers unlimited voice calls, texting, and Web access, which is a pretty fantastic value. Better yet, that $50 monthly fee is reduced by $5 for every 6 payments you make on time, until you reach $35. Unfortunately, the iDen network has very slow Internet speeds; at 24kbps, it's the slowest digital mobile network in America. The phone's Myriad Web browser did a decent job rendering basic WAP pages, but it certainly wasn't quick. You can browse the Web if you really need to, but devoted Web warriors should look elsewhere.
As mentioned earlier, the QWERTY keyboard makes the +i475 a great messaging phone, and it's got the software to back it up. Text messaging is threaded, so each of your conversations is displayed neatly as a single thread. Web-based email and IM support is included for AOL, Gmail, Windows Live, and Yahoo users, and there's support for other IMAP and POP3 email accounts as well.
The Clutch is not a good media phone. It's hard to fit any music into 8MB of memory, or to find 2.5-mm headphones to listen to it with. The .3-megapixel VGA camera took terrible pictures. They were so blurry and unfocused that at first I thought a protective piece of plastic must have been left over the lens; alas, it wasn't. Think of this phone as camera-less to avoid disappointment.
A number of standard apps are built-in, including a calendar and voice recorder. There's also some Java apps, which include an alarm clock, calculator, and the Uno card game. That's about it, as far as extras are concerned. You can download additional ringtones, wallpapers, and games from Boost, but you can't use your own.
The Motorola Clutch +i475 is a good choice for Boost Mobile users looking for a device with solid voice calls, messaging, and push-to-talk. There are some other good options out there as well, but generally speaking, you have to sacrifice one of those three essential features. The Motorola Theory ($79.99, 3.5 stars), also boasts good call quality and a solid QWERTY keyboard on a faster data network, but you lose the push-to-talk capabilities. Really, the biggest competitor to the +i475 is its predecessor, the i465, which has nearly identical features for $20 less than the +i475. But for the nicer screen and the bigger keyboard, I'd stick with the +i475.
Benchmarks
Continuous talk time: 5 hours 39 minutes
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