Agreed with this sentiment. Something that could ease its way into the home improvement segment is an embedded linux device with microphone input, speaker output, powered off 120VAC, fits in a wall box, and input for more microphones to form an array for better listening.
Agreed here. Guess I'm thinking the best way to get this functionality into homes though is with a board spin of a embedded linux platform (i.e. RPi) that people could install into a wallbox.
A bluetooth speaker-like package would probably be fine too.
