Make no mistake about it, the iPhone (and the App Store in particular) has made the lives of many home owners much, much easier. As it stands, there are already a few apps out there that interface with Crestron gear, but to date, there's no official Crestron app to fiddle with. But give it 60 days or so and there will be -- at least, that's the good word over at the company's booth today at CEDIA. Said application will be 100% free to download, and as you can see in the gallery over at Engadget HD, it elegantly enables wired home owners to control lighting, temperature and all sorts of other things via WiFi or 3G, at home or anywhere else in the world. Users can even program in settings for multiple houses, enabling them to turn the AC on in Orlando while blasting the heat in Jackson Hole. So let's see, all you need now is an iPhone, a couple properties, a few dozen grand to blow on Crestron HA gear and a tiny bit of patience.

Handhelds (and handsets, in particular) have long since been used as tools for home automation, but the forthcoming App Store is likely to bring a niche concept to the masses... or some of them, at least. Beginning on July 11th (that's the iPhone 3G launch day, you know), a Crestron interface titled iLoveControl will be available for download; during the first 30 days of launch, said app will "offer a one-room Crestron solution free of charge, configured for the control of lights, drapes, HVAC, audio and video." If you're looking to control more than that, it'll cost you $250 per configuration. This is just one example of what's likely to fill the App Store, and quite frankly, we're pretty excited about the possibilities.

The dream of an automated house has never been more achievable, and thanks to DIY software like Cinemar's Mainlobby, just about anyone can roll their own at a reasonable price. Of course, the more you can control with your home automation system the better. Now, in addition to being able to control lighting, security, home theater gear, thermostats, whole house audio and manage all your movies from a wall mounted touch screen, Mainlobby owners will soon be able to use their iPod Touch or iPhone as a remote. The key to making this work is Mainlobby's built in web server and Safari's extensive AJAX support -- sorry Windows Mobile fans. Unfortunately, this is only a first look, but these examples will be included in future versions of MLServer. And considering the lead developer on the project plans to use it as his "primary handheld controller," it should mean lots of future development. More pictures after the jump.

Controlling your domicile's lighting, temperature, and home theater settings from your cellphone is far from revolutionary, but New York-based CLIQK is implanting the aforementioned abilities onto Apple's iPhone. In an admittedly vague press release, the "digital lifestyle services firm" stated that it was "treating" its VIP members to "specially customized iPhones" which enabled them to access "specialized applications and ringtones that are not available from Apple or to the general public." Quite comically, the firm even noted that it had "unlocked" the true power of the iPhone, and that its tweaked version allowed users to take control of their homes' security, lighting, temperature, shading, and even music from afar. Unfortunately, there's no mention of a price nor requirements for joining this so-called VIP clique (ahem), but hey, wouldn't it be more fun to just create your own home automation app?

[Via I4U News]

It wouldn't be too surprising to see a networking firm and a developer of intelligent 3G femtocell access points work in harmony to crank out a dazzling all-in-one contraption, and it looks like Netgear and Ubiquisys have done just that. Aiming to simultaneously enable mobile operators to provide enhanced cellular coverage in the home and allow consumers to access and control a range of home networking services via standard 3G handsets, the two have joined forces to stuff Ubiquisys' ZoneGate into future Netgear WAPs. The currently unnamed solution will reportedly pack an integrated DSL modem, WiFi, VoIP, and 3G femtocell technology into a single box, and while it's not scheduled to go commercial until early next year at best, operator testing should go live by Q4 of 2007.

Trust the folks at NTT-Neomeit (an NTT West group subsidiary) to find new and even cooler ways to use your cell phones -- and we're thinking this is off-the-scale cool -- it seems Neomeit is not happy with you simply watching TV, listening to music, or playing games with your cell, so they have busted out whole-home automation from your pocket. Using a web interface on your phone, commands are sent to a wireless router in your home which are relayed to either a remote control power switch, or an infrared transmitter. The scenarios where this could be useful are pretty endless, from turning on lights, recording a show you didn't setup or even setting fire to the entire home lighting up the Xmas tree as you arrive home to wow the family. The same page will also allow for device usage monitoring, so you can see what's what when you are away from home. A beta trial will get underway in May with launch expected in September for about $4 a month. Sweet!

[Via Pinktentacle.com]