Hauppauge, N.Y. – Audiovox this month will
ship its first products that turn BlackBerry smartphones, iPhones and iPod
Touches into Bluetooth remotes to control home-entertainment systems.
Another product turns a
BlackBerry into a Bluetooth garage-door remote.
A total of four products fall under the
Zentral Home Command name, a sub-brand of the Acoustic Research brand. The strategy includes new marketing
collateral, packaging and a website.
The products bundle a Bluetooth bridge and an app for use with
Bluetooth-equipped smartphones. For example, the $69-suggested Smartphone AV Remote package for the Blackberry and a
$79 version for the iPhone/iPod Touch feature an A/V remote bridge that relays
Bluetooth commands via infrared blasts to a home A/V system. Consumers can
control up to 16 devices, including DVRs, and execute one-touch commands.
The $69 Smartphone Jukebox consists of an iPod-docking
Bluetooth bridge that connects to home audio systems and can be controlled from
a Bluetooth-equipped BlackBerry.
The
fourth product is the $59 Zentral Smartphone Garage Remote, which turns a Blackberry
into a garage-door opener.
All four were originally slated
for spring availability.
