I was impressed by Boox’s page-turning twisty remote

After launch Surprisingly popular Kobo remoteBoox has released its own device to ease the burden of reaching an e-reader’s touchscreen that’s an arm’s length away. the Tappy isn’t the first page-turning remote from Booxbut its design takes a completely different approach than the company’s Slim but boring BT remote control. The Tappy looks like a mix of wireless remote controls, fidget toys, and macro pads, with a healthy touch of retro charm.

While the Kobo Remote looks like a flush dongle accessory with a design that prioritizes ergonomics, the Tappy is best described as a miniature keyboard distilled down to just two buttons that takes its design inspiration from an old typewriter. It’s not as comfortable to hold as Kobo’s accessories, but it’s small enough to fit discreetly in your hand. There are also four rubber feet on its underside, so it won’t slide if used on a desk, and it’s available in two very bright color options: olive green and the bright orange I tested.

The two round Tappy buttons don’t use the keyboard’s actual key switches, but they have about a quarter-inch of travel and are easy to press when you need something to fidget with. Out of the box, the buttons are marked with a dotted heart and a cup of steaming coffee, which I don’t understand. I immediately switched to the built-in alternatives that are instead labeled with X’s and O’s, but more customizability, even if it was just a sheet of stickers I had to apply myself, would have been preferable. Forward and backward arrows, or even just a plus and minus sign, would be welcome alternatives to what’s included.

Pairing the Tappy with your Boox is easy, but don’t miss out on the foldable quick start guide that walks you through the process. After turning it on using a sliding metal switch on the side, you can put the remote into pairing mode by holding down both buttons for about two seconds until one LED on the side flashes blue. From there, you just need to connect to it through your Boox device’s Bluetooth settings. When you turn it on again in the future, it automatically reconnects.

The default function of the buttons is reading mode which turns pages forward and backward or controls the volume when outside of the reading app, but Tappy can be switched into two other modes. Multimedia mode changes the functions of buttons to skip tracks in music, video, podcasts, or audiobook apps, while Browse mode lets you scroll up and down through long web pages or social media feeds as long as you hold either button.

Holding both buttons for about five seconds switches modes, causing the LED to flash green momentarily. This process is repeated across reading, multimedia and browsing modes, and each time you switch, a notification pops up at the top of your Boox device to let you know the current mode. But it is not constant and can be easily missed. Having three labeled LEDs indicating Tappy’s current mode or even having a single LED display in a different color for each one would make it easier to know what mode it was in at a glance, especially when using the remote with other devices.

While Tappy works best with Boox e-readers and tablets running the company’s V4.2 firmware or later (which includes newer devices like Palma 2 Pro box), and can also be used with other Android mobile devices, iPhones and iPads, with different levels of functionality. The function is supported in both the Kobo and Kindle Android apps, but not in the iOS or iPadOS versions. However, I was able to use Tappy on my iPhone and OnePlus to scroll web pages, control music playback, and adjust the volume.

The biggest challenge when using Tappy with non-Boox devices is that you don’t get the helpful pop-up notifications that let you know which mode you just switched to. Without any LED indicators, the only way to know what mode Tappy is in is to just press the buttons and see what happens. Did the volume go up and down? Great, you’re in reading mode and just two keys away from the browsing mode you want.

Other e-readers from companies like Pocketboot or BigMe are supported, According to the Good eReader testbut I’ve had no luck getting Tappy to work with Kobo and Kindle. Which is unfortunate because although I still regularly enjoy using the Kobo Remote to read at night, I would gladly give it up for Tappy. The little remote has already taken the place of my Apple Watch for skipping tracks when streaming my iPhone via HomePod, even if its buttons are sometimes accidentally pressed when it’s bouncing around my pocket. At $29.99, it’s the same price as the Kobo Remote, but its buttons are more satisfying to use and it’s more of a one-device accessory.

Photography by Andrew Leszewski/The Verge