[Travisc]

Chromebox will be here tomorrow, i don't have a USB IR.

What options do I have in the short term?

Ex; Bluetooth on my phone? Keyboard and mouse? I have an old harmony remote as well.

Going to do a standalone OpenELEC as soon as it arrives, any tricks necessary for the remote to work via bluetooth?

[Matt Devo]

You can use wifi apps on your phone, such as Yatse and Kore, or a Bluetooth remote like the PS3 one or Amazon fireTV remote. Just turn on BT as per the wiki recommended settings