It’s been a while since we published from Pine64, the company known mainly for its ARM architecture (and more recently RISC-V) mini-PCs and which has a focus on Linux and open source. Obviously, that does not mean that Pine64 is dead, since on December 2, 2022 it will launch its PineBuds Prowireless noise-canceling headphones that will cost 69 dollars the pair.
Pine64 has never been focused on delivering top-quality products, but rather is focused on an audience that is enthusiastic about open source, Linux, and software development. In addition to the aforementioned noise cancellation, the PineBuds Pro charge via USB Type-C and have an LED to indicate battery status along with touch controls. But its main feature compared to competing products is the fact that its firmware can be modified by the user.
In order to offer performance out of the boxthe PineBuds Pro They pre-install and use proprietary firmware by default. However, if the user wishes, they can replace said firmware with another open source which, at least for the moment, still fails, but that does not mean that in the future it cannot be equal to or even surpass the proprietary one. On the other hand, Pine64 has made available “a minimal open source SDK” for developers who want to create their own firmware, the latter being typical of this company.
BES2300, the processor that forms the heart of the PineBuds Pro, was considered for use as hearing aids, so Through a possible custom firmware, the door would be opened for people with hearing problems to use the headphones. Other doors that would open with custom firmware would be changing the behavior of touch controls and altering audio settings.
The BES2300 processor is comprised of a dual-core ARM Cortex-M4F chip running at 300MHz. As features it supports Bluetooth 5.2, active noise cancellation, echo cancellation and multiband equalizer, among other things. In addition, there are three microphones and a 6mm speaker in each earpiece, so the PineBuds Pro should be able to be used in video and voice call contexts without the need for an additional microphone.
