Once you buy an e-reader, you probably don’t think about getting a new one for several years. That’s the blessing for the consumer and the curse for e-reader companies such as Amazon and Kobo – these devices are so simple and have been so good at doing one thing very well for so many years, that you don’t need to upgrade yours anywhere near as often as you might do a phone, or maybe even a laptop.

There also aren’t that many accessories one needs for an e-reader. Besides a case, or maybe a stylus for some models that support pen input, all you need is a screen and a book to read.

But Kobo, one of the main rivals to the dominance of the Kindle, has come up with a £25 accessory that has proven so popular that at the time of writing, it is sold out.

If you’ve ever thought tapping on the screen to turn the page of an e-book was annoying, the Kobo Remote could be the reading gadget for you, if you can find one in stock.

This accessory is a small plastic handle that looks a little like a TV remote control crossed with the controller of the Nintendo Wii. Its only function, via Bluetooth, is to remotely turn the page of your book. One button moves the page forward, the smaller one moves backwards. That’s it.

If you’re scoffing reading this, so was I, initially. Why would I want this? How lazy can you get? Wouldn’t this remote make me feel like the humans in Pixar’s Wall-E, never lifting a finger and glued to their screens?

But after using the Kobo Remote, I think I get it. And hey, if there’s one screen in my life that it’s not so bad to be staring at, it’s my Kobo’s.

The remote allows you to prop your Kobo up somewhere using its case or on a stand, or nestled in the duvet around you, and not have to reach up and tap the page to turn the buttons. That might sound mad, but hear me out. If you don’t want to hold your Kobo while reading for an extended period of time, or you want to lie back with it perched on the arm of your sofa, the Remote comes into its own.

It opens up another advantage to choosing an e-reader over a physical book. Now you can lean back and read easier while holding that mug of tea, or, as some people in the cosiest corners of BookTok (the literary community on TikTok) and reading culture on other social media have found, covered in your snuggliest blanket.

After a couple of weeks of watching me use it, my wife still thinks the Kobo Remote is stupid. But she hasn’t used it long enough to get her head around its niche charms. Besides, it’s not compatible with her Kindle.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, I’d say. Third party e-reader remotes have existed for a while, but this is the first official one from Kobo, and Amazon has never released one. The Remote only works with Kobos with Bluetooth, so that’s the Kobo Clara 2E, Kobo Clara BW, Kobo Clara Colour, Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Libra Colour, Kobo Sage, Kobo Elipsa, and Kobo Elipsa 2E. It doesn’t work with Kindles.

I’ve tested it mainly with the Kobo Clara Colour, a device that lacks page turn buttons, unlike the firm’s Libra line. I have quite small hands but they dwarf this dinky pointer, which has a large recessed button for your thumb to skip ahead.

My main criticism is that the buttons are loud and clicky. If your text is quite large on the Kobo, you’ll have to turn pages frequently. I found it hard to ignore the clicking, especially in my prime reading slot post-10pm in bed when my wife might already be asleep. The clicking is not ideal on a remote that is very plasticky.

But sitting up in bed holding the Kobo negates the need for a remote in the first place, and while I have been taken by the remote’s charms, I have not reached for it for every reading session. It worked best for me with my Kobo propped up on an aeroplane’s tray table while I pushed my seat back and had the Remote in my hand.

On the sofa with a beer in hand. On my desk as I ate my lunch. The Remote fits in relatively well to my reading habits, but it is by no means an essential accessory.

The e-reader market is very popular and very successful, but the problem for the companies that make them is that once a customer has bought one, there isn’t much incentive to upgrade.

Aside from upgrading the processor for faster navigation and page turns, or improving the screen quality and text resolution, there isn’t much more Amazon or Kobo can do to get you to pay for besides the e-books to read on your device.

The Kobo Remote feels like an accessory to fill this gap, as Kobo probably won’t sell you another e-reader for several years after you’ve bought one. I appreciate the fact Kobo has jumped onto a social media trend for e-reader remotes by releasing its own, and I am still a little on the fence about it. It’s fun and relatively cheap though, so if you find one in stock and are intrigued, you probably won’t regret it.

When in stock, you can buy the Kobo Remote for £24.99 from Kobo and Amazon.