I decided to give the StreamZap a try because it was within my budget and I wasn't ready to delve into Girder.
So far I am pleased with the purchase. It should work well for the vast majority of the functions I would use it for away from the PC. I've taught all of the StreamZap commands to my HTM MX-500 remote. From the MX-500 I can control my receiver's volume in addition to everything the StreamZap does.
It would be even better if the StreamZap had a right mouse button and the ability to create a macro instead of the limited list they give you for the colored buttons. Edit: I found out that the Exit key functions like a right mouse key when you are in mouse mode.
The Menu key will take you from Mega-me to Full Screen Visualization to Hairstyle mode and back to Mega-me. The arrow keys worked fine for selecting songs in Hairstyle mode. However, to use the commands on the left side of the screen, you have to enter Mouse Mode to move the cursor.
For those interested, there is a good review of the StreamZap at
http://www.remotecentral.com/streamzap/index.html.
The remote has its limitations, and someday I may graduate to USB-UIRT and Girder, but the StreamZap keeps it simple, which is fine for now.