Oh My! ASUS Updates the Big O!

It wasn’t that long ago that ASUS, maker of the popular EEE PC series, entered the world of media streaming with the O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player. But these days, gadget shelf life is getting increasingly shorter in an effort to stay ahead of the pack. So we’re on to the next one like Jay-Z.

The next one being the O!Play HDP-R3 HD Media Player. I guess the R3 is in reference to the two new features the R3 has over the R1, specifically, 802.11n WiFi and a multimedia card reader which adds up to faster streaming and more file formats to stream. There’s also the O!Photo Picture Manager that allows users to instantly display treasured moments as soon as a memory card is plugged in.

According to the press release, The O!Play is also the first media streaming device to come with a music shuffle button. Located on the remote, just press the button and the R3 will pull all your music files from the various nooks and crannies you’ve stashed them in and start playing them randomly. Hmm, I guess this is cool, but it kind of sounds like ASUS was grasping at straws to showcase as many new features as possible. It’s kind of sad in the grand scheme of things. ASUS makes solid tech and shouldn’t have to dedicate a whole paragraph to a shuffle button — it cheapens them as the manufacturer and us as the consumer.

I am definitely for any refinement that will make my tech better and give me a better experience. The upgraded WiFi and new card readers are definitely welcome, but as long as it’s still doing all the sweet content streaming in crisp HD that the R1 was doing, this is just icing on the cake. And with my pockets being strapped as they are, I’m not sure if I want to pay for more icing. With that said, I wonder how long before I’ll see another press release announcing another version of the O!Play?

Are you interested in the O!Play’s new features? Vote yay or nay in the comments section.