Some of these questions are answered in this thread guys....I know it's 15 pages long, but honestly - if you are interested in learning about this device, READ THIS THREAD

Lots of good info here....
Anyhow, My thoughts:
1. GO FULL ANDROID with the CFW 1.4. It works GREAT. Maybe putting it into Dev Mode works too, but for me - the android version is smooth and works awesome. Let's fact it - Gamestick games suck anyway. You won't miss them.
2. The original controller still works in full android, but you might have to pair it. It's a crappy controller though IMO....so maybe find something else! There are plenty of sites explaining how to pair controllers in Android.
3. Most USB remote controls (RF or 2.4ghz or otherwise) should work. I own a USB 2.4GHZ air-mouse, and it works great. I also used a standard WMC USB RF remote, and it too worked great. I recommend searching through the Amazon reviews for a remote control you like, to see if it's compatible with android or XBMC. It should be fine for this.
4. Ethernet (using the dock) can be used with the CFW if you look around for the fix (also in this thread)
5. Wireless works surpsingly well! I stream 720P video and HD Youtube on it all day long, and that's through a wireless extender! Try it before you go strictly dock w/ ethernet. You might be surprised.
6. I used the SPMC (included) for a while, but it didn't allow me to install certain add-ons for some reason. I went with Kodi 14 (newest version) right from the website (make sure you pick the ARM version), and it's AMAZING. The only issue I ran into is that Kodi locks the resolution to 720p on my TV, so while in Android I had to put the display settings to 720P. For the most part, you can't tell a difference and it probably allows it to run a little better anyhow. You might not have the same resolution locking issue, so YMMV.
7. I have an ouya, with both the "stock" XBMC from the Ouya store, and also a sideloaded Gotham release. Call me crazy, but this runs BETTER using Kodi than what I've seen on the Ouya. Sure, Ouya probably emulates some systems better, but I'm using my modded Xbox for emulation so I don't care much about that. This Gamestick w/ CFW is a great media streamer, especially since you can install almost ANY Android app on it. I have Youtube, Netflix, Google Play, Pandora, Slacker Radio, Kodi, etc.
Hope this helps some of you...