I remember in my pre-iPhone days, showing up at the cell phone store to find they were giving away a free tiny tripod with camera phones. At the time I thought that was the most ridiculous cell phone accessory I’d ever seen.

I think I’ve found something that beats that, hands-down.

San Diego company Satechi has come up with a remote control for your iPhone. Yes, you heard that right. A remote control for a device that is just as portable as a remote. For those times you don’t feel like reaching over and grabbing your cell off the coffee table, you can now reach over and grab your remote off…the coffee table?

Priced at only $39.95, the Satechi remote includes buttons for your iPhone’s music player, allowing you to change songs, pause, and play from across the room. This can come in handy if you’ve speaker-docked  your iPhone for a party or, say, you like unwinding with your docked iPhone after work.

Satechi has also included a camera button on its remote.

If you’ve ever tried to set up a group shot using the timer, you know what a pain it can be to get into the picture before the photo snaps. This remote allows you to take your picture from across the room. Your group can move up to 33 feet from the iPhone and take the perfect picture, without having to press the camera button and run.

Its Bluetooth multimedia remote might not be as sleek as Apple’s hardware, but it makes up for it with extra functionality including a dedicated mute button, a camera shutter release, and a duplicate home button so you can even activate Siri from afar,” Andrew Liszewski wrote on Satechi’s site. “Furthermore, there’s a sliding panel revealing a compact set of numeric buttons for selecting specific tracks or chapters, and on a single battery it will run for at least six months.”

The Siri functionality is especially useful, since iPhone owners are finding we’re often across the room when we want Siri to help us. Whether you’re busy in the kitchen, driving, or going for a morning jog, just press the Home button on the remote and Siri will be ready to help you.

If you use a Mac for your presentations, the remote can help you by allowing you to skip forward and backward in your slideshows. The remote works with Keynote on Mac computers, using the device’s Bluetooth connection to communicate. The presenter need only press the play button when it’s time for the presentation to start and feel free to roam the front of the room while the presentation is in progress.

One feature of the remote that may be more useful in future months is its ability to control your video.

Not many iPhone users are currently watching iPhone videos on their television sets, so this functionality isn’t being touted as much, but the Satechi remote will allow you to set your phone down and control your content by using only the remote.

Because it is powered by two CR-2025 coin cell batteries, you’ll be able to use your Satechi remote for six months on the same batteries. Satechi carries a long line of accessories for the iPhone, including windshield mounts, FM transmitters, and cables. Founded in 2005, Satechi seeks to bring affordable, yet innovative products.

Will I get an iPhone remote? Doubtful. But I have to admit, I initially laughed at the idea, then found myself thinking it was a pretty good idea the more I learned about it. With so many iPhone owners looking for unique accessories, Satechi may be onto something.