Sprint had announced Motorola Clutch i465 will be available this summer, in all Sprint sales channels, for $39.99 with a new two-year service agreement, $20 instant rebate and $50 mail-in rebate (excluding taxes).
Motorola Clutch i465, fueled by the Nextel National Network, is a rugged device in a slender candy bar form factor, and the first Nextel Direct Connect messaging-centric device that brings the strength of a full QWERTY keyboard to the iDEN line. Motorola Clutch i465 also offers Group Messaging, which lets customers create groups of up to 20 people to send messages to at the same time.
“Sprint Nextel Direct Connect customers are used to the immediate communications offered by push-to-talk devices, but Motorola Clutch i465 with a QWERTY keyboard gives those customers a better way to instantly communicate with friends, family and colleagues,” said Danny Bowman, president of Sprint’s iDEN Business Unit. “By combining Nextel Direct Connect with text messaging, Sprint customers have two of the most efficient ways to get business done wirelessly.”
According to a study commissioned by Sprint, the number of texters in the 50-64 year-old range has grown by more than 50 percent since 2006, mostly driven by parents who have adopted texting to stay connected to their children. In that demographic, 75 percent of text messages are sent to the user’s children. People under 30 are four times more likely to respond within a few minutes to a text than to voicemail.
“Motorola Clutch was designed to give serious texters and talkers multiple ways to get the word out,” said Rick Gadd, vice president, Motorola Mobile Devices. “With a full QWERTY keyboard featuring shortcut keys, IM-style texting and push-to-talk technology which works like a verbal IM, Sprint customers are able to keep in constant contact, no matter how they prefer to communicate.”
Motorola Clutch i465 is an attractive utility device that meets Military Specification 810F for low pressure, high and low temperatures, dust, shock, vibration and solar radiation. It is also Java-enabled, comes with a digital still and video camera, and supports GPS, Bluetooth and third-party applications.
“During these cost-cutting times, Motorola Clutch i465 is a dependable and durable handset perfect for those who require a messaging handset at a good price,” Bowman said. “Nextel Direct Connect customers recognize the value of instant communications in the form of push-to-talk offers, and mobile messaging extends the ability of our customers to reach the people they need to when time matters most.”
Customers can register for more information about availability for Motorola Clutch i465 at www.sprint.com/clutch.
