Boox’s new page-turning e-reader remote is a tiny two-button keyboard

A striking development has emerged in artificial intelligence. Tech TechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All Tech Gadgets GadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All Gadgets News NewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

FollowSee All NewsBoox’s new page-turning e-reader remote is a tiny two-button keyboardThe Tappy can be used to flip pages, skip tracks, or doomscroll without having to touch your device. The Tappy can be used to flip pages, skip tracks, or doomscroll without having to touch your device. by Andrew Liszewski Andrew LiszewskiSenior Reporter, NewsPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

Technical Details

FollowSee All by Andrew LiszewskiMay 8, 2026, 2:00 PM UTC If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Tappy connects to various devices over Bluetooth, not just Boox’s hardware.

Image: Boox Andrew Liszewski Andrew LiszewskiPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All by Andrew Liszewski is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. Boox has announced its own alternative to the Kobo Remote that offers more functionality than just turning the page while reading on its tablets and e-readers.

The Tappy can also be used to scroll vertical content in browsers or social media apps and skip to the next or previous track when listening to music or audiobooks. It’s available now through Boox’s online store and Amazon for $25. 99, making it slightly cheaper than Kobo’s, but Boox says the Tappy will work with more than just its own devices.

Industry Implications

While Kobo’s remote is reminiscent of a game controller like the Wiimote, Tappy looks more like a retro typewriter that’s been distilled down to just two keys. One key progresses forward through your content, while the other goes back. Alternate keycaps can be swapped in to customize Tappy’s appearance, but in addition to an X and O, they’re limited to pixelated icons of a heart and steaming coffee cup.

Cute, but questionably descriptive. Tappy comes with alternate button designs so you can customize the remote to some degree. Image: BooxThere’s a 95mAh rechargeable battery inside Tappy that should last for weeks if you don’t get too tap-happy, and it’s got a wireless Bluetooth range of nearly 33 feet.

That’s overkill for just reading, but since Boox is actively encouraging you to pair Tappy with other hardware like your smartphone or laptop, it could double as a basic media remote for your sound system with button customizations, or as an incredibly limited gamepad. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

This advance offers important signals about the future of the sector, and the tech world is watching closely.