Startup Freckle launches $199 smartphone built for unsupervised outdoor play
New York startup Freckle has launched a kid-focused smartphone priced at $199 plus a $25 monthly cellular plan, aimed at children ages seven to 13. The device runs a custom operating system called ClayOS that excludes app stores, open web browsing, social media, and streaming video, instead offering AI-assisted object identification, a mini-map, walkie-talkie chat with nearby devices, tap-to-pay, and parent-set 'Quests' or missions.