I’m not really certain why Motorola’s messaging phone the i465 is called the Clutch. Perhaps it is because the back of it is completely covered in textured rubber, just like the clutch of a stick-shift car.

Of course, nothing should ever be judged by its name, and not be its looks, either. You may notice a vague resemblance between the i465 and a product whose first name is “Black” and last name is “Berry”. The i465 is slightly thinner than the popular Research In Motion (RIM) device, and the proportioned skinnier keyboard takes some getting used to. However, I was surprised at how easy it was to text. Normally I use a QWERTY that has to be turned on its side to work.

One of the problems that I saw with the i465 is that it really is an ordinary phone with all the usual features like the camera (both video and stills), Bluetooth, GPS, voice dialing, and Push-To-Talk. Yet I think that in its heart, the Clutch really wants to shift into high gear and be a full-on smartphone. Fortunately, it is possible to access the web and e-mail if you buy the right plan.

Those plans would be from either Sprint or Boost Mobile. The i465 phone from Motorola costs about $99 with either of those backers.

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