Pine64 launch $50 smart speaker for Home Assistant tinkerers

Pine64 has launched the PineVoice, a $50 open-source smart speaker built on a RISC-V chip that integrates with Home Assistant for local, privacy-focused voice control without relying on cloud services. The device features dual microphones, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee connectivity, running open-source firmware based on Alibaba's YoC platform, though it's positioned as an early-stage product for developers and tinkerers rather than a consumer-grade alternative to commercial smart speakers like Amazon Echo or Google Nest.