CES – Check out the Lovebox, an internet-connected message delivery system that’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The short version is that messages sent to your Lovebox from an app are available only in the Lovebox, which is a physical box. I know that might sound backwards to some, but it’s not, at least not to me. It’s romantic. It’s special. Here’s how it works.

The Lovebox is a wooden box with a pixelated heart on the front that rotates when you get a message. That’s your analog notification. Inside the box is a simple dot matrix display with your message. Messages are sent from an app, but they’re sent to the Lovebox, not the recipients iPhone. The spinning heart is designed to be silent, relying on the visual cue of the spin to alert you to the message.

The recipient can also physically spin the heart on the box, and that sends a shower of hearts raining down on the smartphones of every person whose smartphone has been linked to your Lovebox. The whole thing is nothing short of romantic. Here’s the company’s video:

Lovebox

Some will see that as a perverse step backwards. I’ve gotten a very mixed set of reactions from the 10 people I discussed this with before publication. It’s a small data set, but the women who saw it loved it or thought it was cute. The men were mixed, with some thinking it the stupidest thing they’ve seen in a long time.

Count me among Lovebox fans. I instantly grokked that it makes incoming messages special. The lack of instant gratification heightens the anticipation. It builds excitement and mystery, both of which can help build a relationship.

Lovebox already sold 4,000 Loveboxes on Kickstarter in October of 2017 and successfully delivered them before Christmas. The company is taking orders for its next batch at US$99, for delivery starting in February. You can order two of them for $190, while different hearts for the front are priced at $19 each.