Muse is a $50 device that adds hands-free Alexa to any car by using your phones data connection and car speakers. It launched on Indiegogo last month and has managed to earn over $70,000 from over 1,000 backers. The people behind the device contacted me to thank me for writing about their product. They will be sending me a Muse to review when it’s released later this month, so look for that review in the coming weeks. They provided me this special link that allows the first 30 people interested to pre-order the Muse at a discounted price of $35. If you’re interested, have at it. Other than being promised a review unit, I am not being paid or given anything to publish this post, nor do I receive anything if you purchase the product. They simply offered the discount, so I’m passing it along because it looks like an interesting device that I figured some of you might be interested in.
Update
#1 It looks like Muse is increasing the number of units available at the discounted price. It’s currently at 47 of 60 purchased. I do not know if it will increase beyond 60.
#2 Muse told me they’ll continue to honor the deal for my readers and move inventory from other tiers as needed.
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Nah. A “Garmin Speak” on sale a week or so ago @ $99 from Amazon for me. Gets me turn-by-turn navigation.
If my car had Bluetooth or an aux jack, I’d jump all over this. Glad other folks can take advantage of this though!
Try the Roidmi 3 (Xiaomi made) USB power adapter with Bluetooth to FM transmitter. Works great with older head units with just FM radio. You can get these on Gear Best and other Chinese electronics outlets.
Thanks! Grabbed one for my wife for Christmas. Garmin speak is too expensive for what it can do plus we don’t care for the navigation aspect.
Can you post the link for purchase?
Sounds great until you realize you can’t use your radio for anything other than Alexa with this thing plugged in.
Nothing that plugs into your aux port can. That’s not a secret or anything. Anyway, I image the ideal demographic doesn’t listen to the radio over something like Spotify or Pandora, which this will control.
Hi Ujn,
If you connect via Aux, BT or USB – most (if not all) cars will have a way for you to select the source – and Radio will be one of those options. So you will be able to switch your source and listen to the radio whenever you want
Well at that price I just had to get one to mess with it.
I just ordered one for a Christmas present, any chance it will get here before Christmas?
I had just bought the Logitech Zero Touch for $25, Interesting product but very limited and kinda klunky. Interested in seeing how well this thing works. Looks promising. Thx Elias!
Now up to 100 (hmmmm). I tried but an Echo Dot in my car but every time I got a phone call, (iOS), it dropped the wifi connection. I am looking forward to this if it really can do telephone calling handsfree and answer phone calls handsfree.
Hi Kevin,
Bhavin from Speak Music here – we didn’t anticipate as much traffic so we started out with 30 devices but we have moved inventory from other tiers to honor this deal (which is why it’s now at 100). Assuming you mean wi-fi via hotspot? Muse does not require you to create a wi-fi hotspot (it does require data via data plan). Hope that helps.
When will these ship Kevin?
@Bhavin yes the Echo Dot required a wifi hotspot so that is why I am excited about this device. Just wanted folks to know that they weren’t too late to get in on this deal. @ Jon the website says it ships in December. Looking forward to adding Bluetooth calling in my older model car and calling up WNPR when I go out of range.
I’m totally stoked about this product! I have spent a lot of time trying to get a Dot up and running in my truck, but it is such a pain to get connected, and it loses that connection every time you turn the engine off. It simply wasn’t worth the hassle unless we were going on a long road trip. I’m hoping the Muse has worked out all those issues that made an AutoDot so frustrating. Just surprised that Amazon didn’t come out with this themselves, as where is voice control more valuable than in your car?
Thanks much for always looking out for your readers, Elias.
please give the link to purchase or pre-buy the muse product
The link is…
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/muse-alexa-voice-assistant-for-cars-car/x/17821738?utm_source=social&utm_campaign=aftvnews&secret_perk_token=226453ef#/
The Muse arrived today. So far it is hit or miss for Alexa to hear me in my car when I am going down the road especially if I am play music on the radio. I will continue to test. It defaulted to listening through my iPhone microphone but now I have switched it over to the “best in class” noise cancelling microphone on the Muse. I have no earthly idea on how to conduct a hands free call with the device. Support site isn’t up and running so no real documentation or instructions. It did connect to my Bluetooth on the phone quite easily.
Hi Kevin,
Check out http://www.muse.support – which has a bunch of FAQs. Hope that helps.
Here are two specific ones around Wake word detection: https://museauto.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004545154-Alexa-doesn-t-understand-me-How-can-I-fix-this-
and hands-free calling: https://museauto.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004513713-How-do-I-use-the-Hands-Free-Calling-feature-
Correction to the support site URL: http://muse.support
Just got the Muse I ordered for my wife. Works good but it does take some getting used to because she doesn’t immediately take a command after the wake word is spoken. I used the link again to order one for me.
just got mine yesterday and so far I’m very underwhelmed. glad i only paid $35. Guess I’ll hold onto it and see if it gets better.
i have to repeat myself constantly, there is a very substantial delay in respond so that you never really know whether or not it even heard you. and it disconnected several times from my amazon music app during a 15 minute period. definitely wouldn’t recommend.
Hi there,
There is some inherent latency based on OS’s and car’s Bluetooth implementations. Check out more details here: http://bit.ly/2qmNXDg Please email us your use-case details around listening and connection drops at support@museauto.com and a team member will work with you to resolve any issues.
Sold out…Link for the $35 preorder?
yeah, sold out of the $35 units. But don’t feel bad, you saved $35 bucks. The Muse is a bit of a bummer.
Yeah. Consider it money well saved at this moment in time. This thing only works sometimes and usually only for the initial command. I can’t ever tell when it’s on or when it’s off… sometimes there is a red light, sometimes a blue light… sometimes no light… sometimes it connects with a little chime noise, other times it won’t. Sometimes it will hear you… etc… etc…
agreed. This product sucks. Hands free calling is only inbound. Can’t use alexa to place calls. No spotify. No drop in features. All things I wanted when I bought it
Waste of money for me