Crestron Apps For Android On the Way

Crestron has touted its iPhone/iPad interface as the best of its kind, with Apple in June naming it the top application in the industry. Now a similar product is headed beyond Apple- to Android.

At CEDIA Expo Thursday, Crestron demonstrated a very similar version of the application on a variety of Android devices, including Samsung's Galaxy phones and Galaxy Tab, as well as the Dell Streak. The app has not yet been released, but those interested are invited to sign up for a beta team.

Chris Martinez of Samsung said that advantages of the Android platform, for Crestron and beyond in the home control space, include quick development times for apps, multitasking capability and widget support.

Blake Krikorian, the founder of the company behind the Slingbox, will be showing the Crestron R2 apps for Android at the show.

When asked about whether Savant Systems, which has also developed a respected iPad interface, is developing an Android app too, Savant's director of corporate quality, Bruce Hayes would not comment, except to say that such a move is "under consideration."