Welcome to Meadow’s weekly newsletter, Contagious Presence! Your weekly dose of digital detox - and all things Meadow. I’m so glad you found your way this corner of the world wide web. Whether you arrived via our website, Instagram, subreddit, or a good old-fashioned Google search: you’re here, therefore you belong.
In these weekly emails we will inform you…
Product and brand updates
In person / community events upcoming
Opportunities to test the device
WHY DOES MEADOW EXISTS?
We’re living in an era defined by swipes, likes, retweets, and dings - each small in the moment, but massive over time. None of us signed up for this. No one would’ve chosen a world where kids write thesis statements with ChatGPT but don’t know how to knock on a neighbor’s door for a playdate. (Yes, I’ve actually witness this with my own eyes.)
The internet has quietly become our main world, while real life, the messy, awkward, magical stuff, has taken a backseat even been scoffed at. Behavior online that would never fly in person is now the norm. When the iPhone launched in 2007, it felt revolutionary: maps in your pocket, music on demand, your cousin in India a tap away. Faster. Better. Easier. That was the promise. But here we are in 2025, and 69% of Gen Z reports digital burnout (Deloitte, 2024).
As a proud child of the internet, I get it. My milestones- hard launching my first boyfriend, announcing my college decision, finding a roommate, witnessing the January 6th insurrection - all happened through my screens. Even my heartbreaks came with push notifications. A lot of my identity has been shaped by my relationship to my device.
I think about this a lot. I’ve taken breaks from social media and while peaceful, they also made me feel like I’d vanished. I missed pop culture, lost touch with friends, and felt irrelevant. So I redownloaded everything… and the cycle began again. Maybe you’re healthier than I am. Maybe an unfollow doesn’t sting. But whether we admit it or not, our phones are rewiring us and reshaping the norm for human behaviors.
Picture this: Its 2025 - you’re meeting a friend at a bar. You text them the address, your ETA, when you’re parking, walking in, finding the table. You’ve communicated five times before even saying hello. Twenty years ago, you’d just show up. Maybe bump into someone on the way, maybe not. Maybe you’d meet a lover or a new best friend, maybe not. But you’d be there. We’ve traded spontaneity for certainty and in the process, lost so many small, nourishing moments of connection. No wonder everyone’s cups feel empty.
At Meadow, we’re here to refill them. We’re not anti-tech; we are tech kids - raised on iPod Nanos, YouTube, dancing dog speakers, and iFunny. We love connection, creation, and the magic of the internet. But somewhere along the way, we got lost in the noise. Meadow is our way back - a second device with all the good parts of tech, and none of the static that makes our humanity feel fuzzy.
I share all this to invite you into my brain and the world of Meadow.
WHAT MEADOW HAS AND WHY YOU NEED IT!
One number: Use your existing phone number to call and receive calls—no extra SIM.
Essentials only: Uber, Spotify/Apple Music, Strava/AllTrails, Maps, a camera —what you need for movement, not mindless scrolling.
Designed for presence: Calm defaults, fewer alerts, and intentional entry points.
ZERO notifications or social media: No dings or pings. No notifications.
Meadow isn’t anti-tech; we’re pro-attention.
Presence is contagious. You don’t have to delete your social media or toss your phone - you just get to reshape how and when you use it.
Going on a hike Saturday? Leave your phone at home. You don’t need to think about your 9-to-5 while surrounded by trees.
First date? Bring your Meadow. You don’t need to sneak off to the bathroom and spiral over why your ex still hasn’t texted back.
Concert alone? Bring your Meadow for directions and safety - then pocket it, look up, and find your new favorite stranger in the crowd.
Stay present. Stay grounded.
We’re not telling people to slow down - honestly, we’re telling them to speed up - not with their thumbs, but with their focus, their attention, their presence in real life. Stop chasing dopamine hits online while missing the ones happening right in front of you.
Presence is currency: beautiful, desirable, contagious.
WHATS HAPPENING WITH MEADOW RIGHT NOW?
You can pre order (fully refundable) your first Meadow now!
The product has been moving along really well and we're testing everything robustly!
A week ago we finalized the device hardware and kicked off development of our PCB (the motherboard of the phone).
In early December we'll go back to China to get our first fully functional samples and load our software onto em!
In January we will finalize accessories, prepare for production, and put finishing touches on our software.
Will share updates as we go along / if our timeline shifts.
We will ship early next year!
Expect weekly updates as we get closer to the launch!
We want your feedback! Join our discord and reddit communities to share your thoughts and opinions on the device.