Meta Unveils Muse Charm, a Standalone AI Wearable Device
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the Muse Charm, a compact AI-powered device with a fingerprint sensor and camera, at the Meta Connect event. The gadget is designed to offer quick access to the Muse AI agent without a phone and is expected to launch in time for the holidays.
Meta is developing a dedicated hardware device for its new Muse AI agent, a product called the Muse Charm that was briefly shown by CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the end of the company's Meta Connect presentation. The device resembles a chunky smartwatch without a strap, featuring a large screen and a small lanyard for carrying it around. A fingerprint sensor on the top right corner allows users to press and activate the agent, and there appears to be a small camera plus at least three microphone holes on the front.
Zuckerberg said the Muse Charm eliminates the need to unlock a phone or open an app to interact with the AI. «If you're not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and to show it what's going on around you,» he said during the event. The Muse AI agent and its companion app have surged in popularity, recently hitting No. 1 on Apple's U.S. App Store. Meta has built only a few early working units of the Muse Charm and plans to release it in time for the holidays.
The announcement came during a wide-ranging Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, where Zuckerberg also introduced new lightweight virtual reality glasses called Meta VR Glasses. Weighing 100 grams, the glasses are designed for cinematic experiences, spatial computing, and gaming, and will ship in spring 2027 at a price of $1,299. Zuckerberg noted a strategic shift: «We made the decision to focus a little bit less on metaverse for now; build fewer VR devices and only release them when we have real breakthroughs.» He added that many people are less interested in wearing a headset, prompting Meta to build a new kind of VR device.
The VR glasses are positioned as a direct challenge to Apple's Vision Pro headset, which has struggled to gain consumer traction due to its large frame, weight, and cost of around $3,700. Apple is reportedly working on smart glasses and camera-enabled AirPods, but did not provide updates on the Vision Pro at its recent hardware event, where it unveiled its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. Meta has taken a lead in the post-smartphone era largely because of its popular smart glasses lineup.
In addition to the VR glasses and Muse Charm, Zuckerberg spent the hour-long presentation showcasing new styles of Meta smart glasses. These include updates to the flagship Ray-Ban camera-enabled glasses, the Meta Display glasses with a small digital box on the right lens, and the company's first audio-only glasses, which will ship in Ray-Ban's Clubmaster and Burbank styles. The Muse Charm, with its compact, keychain-friendly design, represents Meta's push to make AI assistance more accessible and immediate.
Zuckerberg framed the broader vision around personal superintelligence. «Delivering personal superintelligence is now within reach,» he said. «Soon, everyone is going to have an extremely capable personal agent that understands your goals and can work 24/7 on your behalf.» The Muse Charm is a step toward that future, offering a dedicated, voice-first interface for the Muse AI agent. While Meta has not announced a specific price for the device, its holiday release window suggests the company aims to capture consumer attention during the peak shopping season.
The Muse Charm's reveal underscores Meta's ongoing investment in hardware beyond smartphones and its ambition to integrate AI seamlessly into daily life. With a fingerprint sensor for quick activation, a camera for visual context, and multiple microphones for voice input, the device is designed to be a always-ready companion. As the Muse AI agent continues to gain users, the Muse Charm could become a key product in Meta's expanding ecosystem of AI-driven wearables and gadgets.
6
