ASUS O!Play Mini Plus review - Product Showcase

Product Showcase

Alright then, above we can see the Asus O!Play Mini. Let's have a look at the bundle.

The bundled items are definitely okay. Next to the Media Player unit you'll receive a very decent media remote control with batteries, a manual, power adapter, composite cables and a good quality HDMI cable (1.3a).

The remote is what is different in the Plus version of this SKU, the non plus version has a very simple remote control.

The included media remote (IR based) is decent to be honest. The remote covers all the functionality, selecting chapters, fast forward, next, stop, play menu, setup, the entire spectrum of functionality that you may expect from a media remote control.

Some buttons are placed a little illogically, like the return button; I would have liked to have seen it right above the arrow up button. Overall though it is a reasonable and intuitive remote, and the slim design makes it comfortable to work with.

I keep saying this in reviews, but being a media remote control it would have been nice to have UV reflective buttons, that would be very handy in the dark room while watching a movie.

But hey now ... there is an alternative.

Interesting is the fact that you can use your mobile phone or tablet to control the unit. You can download a free Media Remote App. It looks good, works OK but obviously will work in your local LAN network only, meaning you are working over WIFI with your phone.

Its a fun gadget alright. On a smartphone the app might be a little too small to work with, then again on an Android/iPhone pad or tablet, it should work fine. We'll show you some more of it later in the article.