If you’ve ever struggled to control an Android TV box, smart TV or computer from your couch, you’ll know just how frustrating it can be to get anything done. The default option is to click and select, which takes ages, and even if you’ve got an air mouse it can be very slow entering in web addresses or anything longer. But now there’s a new tool to make things easier.

The Tronsmart Air Mouse & Keyboard is a 2 in 1 combo device which combines the best of an air mouse, fast cursor navigation around multiple screens, with the cool functionality of a full blown QWERTY keyboard. It’s perfect for the living room, where you typically end up managing your Internet access from the couch.

First impressions
The product comes in a standard package, along with a very sparse user guide and a microUSB charge cable. And that’s it. The 2.4GHz micro dongle fits into a USB slot on the TV box, and then you’re off and running. Just point at the screen to move around, and when you’re ready to use the keyboard turn it over and it will automatically switch to keyboard mode. Very neat. See our video below for a quick look at how it works in practice.

In use
The device is very small in the hand but surprisingly useable. The pointer works well, and more importantly, the keyboard is perfectly adequate for the job. The fact that the whole thing is the size of a normal remote control is a bonus, although you may end up losing it down the back of the couch if you’re not careful.

All the important keys are available on the air mouse, even some scroll arrows, so you can navigate any operating system comfortably, and there’s a helpful LED light which indicates when you’ve pressed a key properly. The internal rechargeable battery is juiced from a microUSB port, and there’s also a volume up and down power off key on the side.

We didn’t experience any lag or issues with range, although the buttons take a little getting used to, when you realize that the Enter button isn’t a default execute, but only used in sub-navigation menus. The main execute and back buttons are the two mouse buttons down below, which do most of the work (the home button takes you back to the home page, duh). But once you understand all that, it’s a cinch to use.

Conclusion
If you’re looking for a living room controller to make your life easier, then this is one tool you should seriously consider. It’s not going to be as fast to use as a full sized keyboard with trackpad, but on the other hand it’s a lot easier to store and handle, and the keyboard is definitely good enough to use on a day to day basis for browsing and suchlike. A very cool tool indeed!

Price: $19.90 / £15.99