Remember the last time you received a handwritten letter? The anticipation as you opened the envelope, the familiar handwriting of a loved one, the personal touch that made you feel connected despite the distance? In our digital age, this experience has become increasingly rare. Text messages and emails zip across continents in seconds, but something precious has been lost in the transition. We type without thinking, send without pausing, and communicate without the emotional weight that handwritten correspondence once carried. The quick convenience of digital messaging has stripped away the thoughtfulness that made letters special.The physical act of writing by hand creates an intimate connection between sender and recipient that digital communication struggles to replicate. Each curve of a letter, each crossed t and dotted i, carries the unique imprint of the writer. The pressure applied to the pen, the choice of stationery, even the occasional crossed-out wordall these elements tell a story beyond the written content. They reveal mood, personality, and intention in ways that standardized fonts cannot. Traditional letters, however, come with their own set of challenges: delivery delays, potential damage during transit, and the possibility of getting lost altogether.Designer: Dohui KimEnter tou, an innovative device concept that bridges this gap between digital convenience and analog intimacy. This mailbox-shaped scanner and printer combo preserves the emotional depth of handwritten communication while eliminating the practical barriers. Tou allows people to exchange handwritten notes instantly across any distance, maintaining the personal touch that makes such correspondence meaningful. The beauty of this system lies in its simplicityboth parties can keep a physical copy of the letter, creating lasting mementos of their connection.Using tou couldnt be more straightforward. After writing your letter by hand, you simply place it face down inside the mailbox-shaped device. The scanner captures every detailfrom the pressure of your pen strokes to the texture of your chosen paper. Through the companion app, you enter the recipients unique tou identification number, and the letter begins its digital journey. The flickering light on your device signals that the recognition process is complete, indicating your message is on its way to your loved one.What makes tou truly special is how it recreates the anticipation of traditional mail. Rather than delivering messages instantly, the system deliberately introduces a 1-2 day delay before printing the letter at the recipients end. This thoughtful feature preserves the delicious anticipation that made receiving physical mail so excitingthat magical moment of wondering what news or sentiments await inside. The delayed gratification enhances the emotional impact when the letter finally arrives, making the experience more meaningful than instant messaging.The designers of tou have considered every aspect of the letter-writing experience, right down to the unboxing. The device itself comes packaged like a gift, creating an immediate emotional connection from the moment you receive it. This presentation reinforces the idea that written communication should be treasured, not rushed. Opening the package mirrors the excitement of receiving a special letter, setting the tone for how youll use the device to connect with others through thoughtful, handwritten messages.Tou represents a fascinating blend of nostalgia and innovation, recognizing that technological advancement doesnt have to mean abandoning the practices that brought us joy. By maintaining the physical act of writing while removing the logistical barriers, it offers a compelling alternative to both traditional mail and digital messaging. The genius of tou lies in its understanding that technology should enhance human connection rather than replace it. By preserving the intimacy of handwriting while eliminating practical obstacles, it creates a communication method that feels both timeless and modern, enhancing what makes us human rather than diminishing it.The post Mailbox-shaped Scanner and Printer Concept Brings Back the Magic of Handwritten Letters first appeared on Yanko Design.

Two NASA officials have weighed in on the public dispute over when and how to bring home Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been on the International Space Station since June.

The former Google chief executive is taking a controlling interest in Relativity Space, which aims to build low-cost, reusable rockets to compete against Elon Musks SpaceX and to reach Mars.

On this episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, we dive into more Amazon hardware arriving this fall, a leaked sensor from Ikea, evidence of Apple's smart home display, and the delay of Apple's next-gen Siri.HomeKit Insider PodcastAs Apple's smart home plans remain in flux, code discovered in tvOS 18.4 reveal Apple has added support for ChatKit. This is a framework used for Messages, currently unused on Apple TV.As the new smart display is rumored to run on tvOS, it makes sense this would be added to support messaging. We also talk about the next-gen Siri, and whether it is necessary for Apple's product to release. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

It's been a while since we've seen a dramatic overhaul on any of Apple's operating systems, but we could see the biggest ones in years as soon as WWDC.iOS 19 is due this fallApple is gearing up to overhaul its operating systems in hopes of making its platforms more cohesive. The idea is that the change should make the platforms feel familiar to people coming from one device to another.The new updates are expected to come later in 2025 according to Bloomberg. Apple will update its icons, menus, apps, windows, and system buttons. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

UK-based outletThe Architectural Review has named its list of winners for the 2025 edition of the AR Future Projects awards.The group was led by the overall winner, Gort Scott's for Girton College design for the University of Cambridge, which was hailed as "the most significant addition" to the country's first full-time institution for the higher education of women. The slightly more than 100,000-square-foot project will add 160 beds for students and was announced last fall as the largest single building project on the College's main site since its foundation in 1869. Jury member Indy Johar commented, "This is architecture for 200 years rather than 25, and that is the way we need to go."Joining it were two Highly Commended projects designed by AP Valletta and David Kojo Derban in Accra, Ghana, and Guillaume Othenin-Girard and the University of Hong Kong in Armenia. In the end, 14 projects were chosen in separate categories.Here is our roundup of each winner for the 2025 edition.O...

After Split Fiction crossed 250,000 concurrent players on Steam this past weekend, Hazelight Studios has announced one million copies sold in its first 48 hours. By comparison, It Takes Two reached a million sales in its first month (and has since sold 23 million units in its lifetime).Several days after launch, the co-op action-adventure title is still seeing impressive numbers, with nearly 240,000 peak concurrent players in the past 24 hours on Steam. Also available for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, the story is about two unpublished authors, Mio and Zoe, who traverse science fiction and fantasy worlds in a dangerous simulation.To survive and escape, they must rely on each other, venturing through cyberpunk locations with mechs, gravity manipulation and motorcycles. Alternatively, they may venture through fantasy environments, fighting and piloting dragons. They could also become pigs andwell, youll have to find out for yourself. Check out our review for more details. SPLIT FICTION sold 1 MILLION units in its first 48 hours!!!The love you all show for our game is overwhelming! Everyone here at Hazelight are beyond happy and we cant stop enjoying your amazing reactions! #SplitFiction Hazelight (@hazelightgames.bsky.social) 2025-03-10T15:16:02.087Z

While details on Nintendos upcoming console, the Switch 2, are still scarce, a new patent suggests that the company might include online voice chat as a native feature on the console. Spotted by WCCFTech, the patent was published last month, and describes a system for OS voice chat integration.Among the concepts described in the patent application is also the addition of proximity-based voice chat. This would involve being able to communicate online with players depending on how close your character is to theirs in the games world.This would mean that players that are further away would be less audible than close-by players. A similar system can be seen in several multiplayer titles, such as battle royale games like PUBG: Battlegrounds.The OS-level integration of voice chat would also indicate that online voice communication for Nintendo Switch 2 players will not be dependent on a smartphone app. For context, the original Switch does not have its own voice chat system. Players have to make use of the official Nintendo Switch Online app to be able to communicate with friends playing, for example, Splatoon 3 together.The patent might also be a hint about the purpose of the new C button that has been spotted on pictures of the Switch 2s new JoyCon controllers. The button could be easily used for push-to-talk purposes, allowing players to use a microphone that is potentially built right into the JoyCons for communication.While Nintendo had unveiled the Switch 2 back in January, the company hasnt yet revealed any information about the console. Details about the Switch 2 have been reserved for a Direct showcase slated for April 2 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET. During this event, Nintendo is expected to showcase some of the hardware features of the console, alongside maybe a few games, as well as the launch date and price.We do know that the Nintendo Switch 2 will feature a larger display, along with bigger JoyCon controllers to go with it. The console will also feature a new aesthetic style, making use of the Switchs iconic red and blue colours for the new systems accents.Nintendo has also confirmed that the Switch 2 will be fully backwards compatible with the original Switch. This includes not only games purchased digitally through the eShop, but also physical copies of games.In the meantime, analysts have predicted that the Switch 2 will be priced at around $399. This price point was chosen so that Nintendo doesnt end up alienating fans of the original Switch. According to SuperData Research co-founder Joost van Dreunen, the price tag represents a critical psychological threshold that balances premium hardware aspirations against mainstream market accessibility.While Nintendo hasnt yet confirmed any new games for the Switch 2, the company did tease that a new Mario Kart title would be coming to the new console. Rumours have indicated that a host of third-party games were being developed for the Switch 2, including Fable, Forza Horizon 5, Diablo 4, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. For more details, here are 15 games rumoured to be in development for the Switch 2.

Chain-of-experts chains LLM experts in a sequence, outperforming mixture-of-experts (MoE) with lower memory and compute costs.Read More

iFixits teardown of Nintendos Alarmo revealed a magnet and Hall effect sensor in the alarm clocks control dial. | Image: iFixitNintendo is still shipping the Switch with Joy-Con hardware that will potentially develop issues like joystick drift and false inputs over time. Well have to wait until April 2nd to find out if Nintendo is fixing the issue with the new Switch 2, but as iFixit discovered during a teardown of the Alarmo alarm clock, the company is already embracing more reliable Hall effect sensors in at least one of its devices.Unlike disassembling most modern smartphones, iFixits teardown of Nintendos Alarmo appears to be relatively painless. Removing a single tri-point screw on the bottom of the alarm clock allows its faceplate to be simply twisted off, providing easy access to its internal hardware.There arent a lot of surprises inside Alarmo. Below its 2.4-inch LCD screen, youll find the 24GHz mmWave presence sensor the alarm clock uses to detect your body movements and whether youre sleeping through an alarm. Theres also an easy to replace CR2032 coin cell backup battery thats used to preserve settings while the clock isnt getting power from a USB cable.Somewhat unexpected, given Nintendos refusal to update its Joy-Con hardware, is the presence of a magnet and Hall effect sensor inside the rotary dial button atop Alarmo. That tech, which is already in use in many third-party controllers, should not only improve accuracy while using the dial to navigate the alarm clocks menus, but it will also help ensure that in five years time Alarmos dial can still work as reliably as it does today.