To make it clear from the outset, there is very little wrong with the design of the Remix Mini.
The Remix Mini itself is pebble shaped which looks elegant and sophisticated. This is helped by the matte black plastic which is simple and understated, and also helps the Mini to blend in unobtrusively with your home setup – be it next to a TV or PC monitor.
As you would expect from a device named the Remix Mini, it is very small. It measures 2.6 x 8.8 x 12.4cm, small enough to fit on my outstretched hand. Because of this, the Mini will be able to fit right in next to a TV or PC without looking ugly or clunky.
One very nifty feature is the lack of a power button. Instead of reaching round behind the Mini to turn it on, users can simply tap the Remix logo on the top of the device. A single green LED will then let you know the device is powered on.
In terms of connectivity, the Mini does very well for such a small device. At the rear of the Mini, where all the ports are housed, you will find an HDMI connector, 2x USB 2.0, 1x microSD port, an Ethernet port, headphone jack and power connector.
The only potential downside with this array of ports is having just 2x USB 2.0 ports. This could raise problems if one assumes users will plug in either a wired or Bluetooth USB keyboard and mouse. This then leaves no space for a webcam or USB pen drive, for instance.
While this is easily solved by using ‘pure' bluetooth peripherals which do not require a USB dongle, not everyone will have this option available to them. It is far from a big issue, but something to bear in mind depending on how you want to use the Remix Mini.
I see this as a potential PC replacement for those with few needs, so it would be interesting to test it as such, for example see if there’s a browser that works really well in desktop mode, test desktop style office software (such as SoftMaker Office HD Basic), import photos from a camera or phone and print them, that kind of thing.