This is Tappy, a name which suggests it should have a smiling face like that other Tappy mascot. But there’s no face here. It’s a simple, compact device with two buttons, and you can alternate between modes to change what these buttons do.
What’s the point of Tappy? Well, it’s ostensibly a page-turning device, so you can prop up your Boox e-reader and turn pages remotely (or achieve other functions depending on what you’re reading or listening to, hence the modes). It connects via Bluetooth and has a multi-week battery life.
For $26, you’re getting a small and cute accessory, albeit one that’s far from mandatory to enjoy your e-book. However, many e-reader owners might be sleeping on some of the other functions Tappy could achieve.
I’ve been covering e-readers for years, and in that time, I’ve met loads of owners of the devices and heard countless stories of the interesting and weird ways people use their gadgets beyond simply reading books.
I’m convinced people are sleeping on Tappy. It’s not just for turning a page when you’re sitting poolside, hands wet. There are some other really useful tasks it could achieve.
My Kindle didn’t just improve my reading experience; it actually improved my health
I’ve been convincing everyone in my life to get one
Music page-turner
I know loads of musicians, and whenever they ask me product recommendation questions, they fall into exactly one category: page turners. I didn’t know this, but it makes sense that page-turning devices are incredibly useful for musicians.
Most musicians I know read sheet music from a tablet or e-reader because it’s more portable than a load of books. It is also much more convenient for moving pages.
Usually, a tap to the edge of the screen will replace peeling one piece of paper away from others to move it aside.
But for certain musicians, removing a hand from the instrument to tap the side of a tablet isn’t feasible. And so foot pedals have become incredibly popular. These Bluetooth devices let you tap your foot to automatically turn the page.
Foot pedals aren’t perfect, though. They’re quite large and vary wildly in quality, with plenty of unreliable budget models online.
But as soon as I saw Tappy, I saw a solution. A compact little model like this could prove to be a handy way of turning pages without relying on foot pedals.
You could easily perch Tappy at the side of a keyboard or piano, in easy reach of your hands with a quick tap.
For guitarists, you could easily flick the buttons between strums. Drummers could — actually, I don’t know how well Tappy would survive a drumstick.
Tappy’s small enough to be versatile without the drawbacks of foot pedals, and I see it being a useful alternative to all kinds of musicians.
Presenting on the big screen
Give presentations with Tappy
Like many e-reader owners, I don’t just use my device for reading books on holiday. I’ve written whole articles on how I use my e-reader on movie shoots, and it’s full of work documents too. Occasionally, I give talks or presentations from the gadget.
Certain e-readers let you cast to other screens — usually via unofficial apps and complex workarounds — to let you present documents on your device to an audience.
But even if you manage to set up the screencast, you’re still reliant on the device to scroll through your presentation.
Not with Tappy, presumably. It could be a useful little extra to let you zip along your presentation remotely, with its quoted wireless range of 10 meters, enough for smaller stages or conference rooms.
Audiobook skimming
For reading on the go
This use is one that Boox mentioned regarding the Tappy, but I think many people are overlooking how useful its audiobook utility could be.
Audiobooks are, naturally, an important part of the e-reader experience. Onyx’s tablets, being on Android, have plenty of audiobook apps, but their rivals offer spoken-word novels as part of the core experience too.
I recognize that most people listen to audiobooks continuously. You’re not jumping between chapters all the time. But that’s not universally true, and there are plenty of reasons you might want to frequently change chapters without having to use your e-reader.
When you’re listening to reference books for research, you might want to skip chapters that aren’t relevant, and people trying to remember passages will need to repeat them regularly. These are just two examples off the top of my head, but there are plenty more.
However you use Tappy, it’s great to see more and more new tools pop up for e-reader fans to let you read or work in different ways. We’re even seeing mini e-readers that attach to your phone using magnets.
