Almost a year ago, Audiovox announced that its Acoustic Research brand would soon sprout another sub-catogory, known as Zentral Home Command. Family tree aside, the idea was to create various methods of home control, using your existing smartphone.

Now the company says that the Zentral AV Remote should be available as early as next week. That actual product is the Zentral Receiver, which acts as a bridge between your A/V components and your phone. Once you have the box connected, download the free Zentral Application, which works with compatible BlackBerry, iPhone or iPod touch devices. Using that app, you can send signals to the Zentral Receiver, which can then control the TV, Blu-ray player, or other connected devices.

The Zentral setup provides one-touch access over various devices, as well as an on-screen programming guide, which has local info and allows users to set favorite channels. The range on the setup is about 30 feet from smartphone to bridge.

Amazon has been taking pre-orders on the product. The Zentral AV Remote for BlackBerry has an MSRP of $69, while the iPod model is $79.

Other Zentral Home Command products are expected at a later date. Those include the Zentral Smartphone Garage Remote and the Zentral Smartphone Jukebox.

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.