Piece of advice: get the standalone IR (or BT) remote. Not only you will have haptic feedback mentioned by skeletonjelly, but the battery will last months and, the most important thing, you can wake up the HTPC from sleep (yes, you can use WOL with the Android remote, but it takes too long).
Another alternative is to get HDMI CEC-USB adapter and use remote from your telly for control. Pricewise, they are about the same as remotes.
Another option is Flirc , cross between a uSB IR reciever and a programmable remote. You can teach it any existing IR remotes you have and it appears to the system like a USB keyboard.
Another alternative is to get HDMI CEC-USB adapter and use remote from your telly for control. Pricewise, they are about the same as remotes.