Smartphone alternative

[virginia]

Has anyone come across a smartphone alternative for teens? I'm thinking a watch that he can call from (preferably text too). There's no way in world he can keep track of an actual phone but he needs some way to communicate with me when he's at school. 
Ive found watches that work WITH a phone, but nothing that works independently and isn't young kid colors and interface. 
Thanks!

[miranda]

I don't have a lot of advice, but we've started looking into this as well. There are some random Verizon brand watch-phones but I think they look clunky and DS will tear it off. I believe we'll have no choice but to get him a phone. Either one of our older Iphones our an IPhone S. DS is a rule boy, so I'm hoping that will play in his favor. I will probably make a rule that says it stays in his backpack the entire day unless he needs it for an emergency. But I'd like to be able to text him so maybe I'll let him check it during lunch. IDK. I will probably talk to his ASD resource teacher when he's in middle school and see what they do around this. She may be willing to use it as part of his executive functioning minutes (e.g. text himself his homework assignments each day.)

I've talked to other (NT) parents and they've also said they allow cell phones in middle for safety. Our middle school starts at 9:30 so I can't drop him off nor can I wait for the bus. If I did I wouldn't get to work until after 10:00. My neighbors and I have been talking and we figure between all the kids we can have a system where they rely upon one another. We all plan on getting smart locks for our front doors. One mom has her son walk; she facetimes with him the whole way! Another mom has her kid carry an old flip phone for texting and calling emergencies.

[auntie]

DS had a pay as you go flip phone for a time. Just an fyi- DS lost his flip phone a number of times, but he always knows where his smartphone is.

In high school we had a smartphone for organization added to his IEP since the school didn't allow them at the time and I didn't want it confiscated.