Meadow is a standalone phone offering calls, texts, maps and music, while deliberately leaving out social media, web browsing and any feed to scroll.
Photo source:
Meadow
Meadow SF, Inc. built its device around a
specific goal: letting someone leave their smartphone at home without losing
the handful of functions they actually rely on. The company describes Meadow as
"the first device that lets you leave your phone at home and live in the
moment," aimed at moments like dates, family time or outdoor outings where
a person wants to step away from their main phone without going completely
unreachable.
Meadow runs on a T-Mobile eSIM with its own 4G
connection, and assigns the user a new phone number that matches their existing
area code, with no long-term contract attached. The device blocks spam calls
automatically, and its contact list works in reverse compared to a typical
phone: only contacts a person has already approved can reach them, rather than
being open to any incoming number. Alongside calling and texting, Meadow
supports location sharing so a person can still let others know where they are.
Beyond basic communication, Meadow includes a
small set of integrated tools rather than an app store to browse: turn-by-turn
maps with Uber built in for ride requests, a camera that stores photos and
syncs them to the cloud, and music through Spotify or Apple Music. There is no
option to add outside apps beyond what Meadow builds into the device directly.
Meadow's core design choice is what it excludes
rather than what it includes. The company states plainly that there is "no
social media," "no browsing" and "no feeds" on the
device, removing the scrolling and feed-based content it says drives
distraction and anxiety on a typical smartphone. Meadow positions itself as a
device for specific outings rather than a full smartphone replacement, meant to
be picked up instead of a primary phone rather than to replace it entirely.
Meadow is built small enough to fit in a jeans
pocket, and its battery typically lasts a full day of normal use with some
charge left over, charging over USB-C. The device works with AirPods, other
Bluetooth headphones, wired USB-C headphones and, with an adapter, standard
3.5mm wired headphones. Software updates download over Wi-Fi without erasing
anything already on the device, and Meadow says a typical update takes about 15
minutes. Each device ships with a charging cable and a set of accessories the
company doesn't specify in advance, alongside the phone itself.
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