Legacy Devices
MuteMe remains committed to support legacy devices (batch 001-003) as long as possible but there are hardware limitations to these devices that NEW customers should be aware of since these devices are older and have issues, with major hubs and docks, with higher end USB Cables, and even with some macOS computers. These devices have not lost support in any way, shape or form, but this is a notification that there is newer more updated hardware available.
We recently learned that batch 001 devices are being sold on Amazon.com by third parties as new. These devices are not authorized for sale as "new" on that platform and should be sold as "legacy". If buying from Amazon please ensure that you choose the "New MuteMe" if you want the newest device. If you choose the "Legacy Device" you will get the 1st generation device.
Additionally, please do not leave negative reviews on the product listing since these third party sellers are using our listing page and it only hurts us and does not impact them. Just return the device without leaving a review or contact our customer support team.
Background:
Legacy MuteMe devices were manufactured for early retail customers, enterprise customers and most commonly Kickstarter backers who were looking for a simple Mute / Unmute Device. The device and software did not support any application integrations, lighting effects, various mute modes, and was designed to meet the objectives of the kickstarter campaign which were much lower than the expectations our customers have today. This was our first hardware product and we learned many lessons after having these devices deployed to 1000s of kickstarter backers who provided clear insights and met with our founding and development teams to refine the products.
As with any technology product improvements and changes are made all the time to make the product better and improve customer experience. The promise made for the original campaign was that the device would be a physical click button, that only supported 3 colors (red, yellow and green), was microUSB vs USB C, and was completely made out of plastic (no stainless steel). But we made improvements mid-campaign and 1000s of Kickstarter backers benefited from those changes. USB-C was added in the 11th hour! The development work didn't stop right after the Kickstarter, we had people tell us the the white/orange power LEDs inside the device were annoying, we had people tell us they wished the device would have smoother lighter effects, that the touch sensor would be more sensitive. Each one of these changes required some change to the hardware.
With each and every batch we have made improvements to the hardware:
| Generation | Batch | Details | Release |
|
Gen 0 |
Prototype | Handmade, 3D Printed, Various Configurations | Oct 2020 |
| Batch 000 | Manufactured, MicroUSB, Pre-Production | Dec 2020 | |
|
Gen 1 |
Batch 001 | Introduced USB-C / Better Illumination | Feb 2021 |
| Batch 002 | Fixed USB Cable Support For High-End Cables | Apr 2021 | |
| Batch 003 | Fixed Issues with internal LEDs, Sleep Modes | Jul 2021 | |
|
Gen 2 |
Batch 004 | Much Better USB Module for better compatibility USB 2.0 | Oct 2021 |
| Batch 005 | Testing Batch for new touch sensor | Oct 2021 | |
|
Gen 3 |
Batch 006 | Testing Batch for software touch sensor (faster) | Oct 2021 |
| Batch 007 | Ultrafast touch response, faster overall device | Apr 2022 |
The Legacy devices have hardware drawbacks compared to new hardware that prevent us from recommending these device for new customers. We are currently selling Modern devices which have the following improvements:
Ultrafast Improved Capacitive Touch
One of the things that users told us over and over again was that they wished the device was faster when tapping on the button (especially if the device was sitting idle for a while). This was only possible with a hardware update since the limiting factor was the touch sensor in the device. This new device now registers touch in as little as 50ms compared to 500ms for the Legacy devices and you can truly just tap it like you would any modern capacitive device.
Improved USB Module
We are now using USB 2.0 vs USB 1.1 for communication, this standard is newer faster and more compatible with hubs, and cables. With the new device you can use any USB C cable vs just being able to use certain ones.
Works better with macOS
macOS is a little more sensitive when it comes to USB communication and the new module mentioned above also does a better job at working with macOS. This prevents weird dropouts and improves device wake up from sleep. Plus it is just faster and more compatible overall.
Faster Overall Device
The newer device operates at a much faster speed and has more onboard memory so the lighting effects are much smoother and the initial bootup time has been reduced by a factor of 10x.
Better Sleep Modes and Wakeup
We removed the internal power LEDs. So many customer told us that the internal power led that was always on would bother them since the device and computer was sometimes in a shared space. This was a simple change but this led has been removed. The device also handles sleep and wakeup events better.
Smaller Logo / Smaller Packaging
The new device now has a smaller logo and smaller packaging. Our original packaging was mostly air and was not the the most efficient. The new packaging has the same style but cuts the size in almost half.
If you recently bought a legacy MuteMe device from Amazon
Although we do not recommend these devices for new customers we will continue to support these devices for as long as possible. Just please understand that the experience will be different compared to modern devices. If you bought from a platform that supports easy returns (amazon.com) you may consider returning and buying directly from us.
A famous quote by Reid Hoffman is "if you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late." Although we are not completely embarrassed by the batch 001 MuteMe, we have learned a lot since we launched and both the software and now hardware have improved dramatically. To get all the benefits you need the new device, to get some of the benefits you could update the firmware on the device but this does not solve the most common issues.
macOS Users:
If you decide to keep the device and it is giving you issues (flickering LEDs, non-responsive touch, device goes dim on its own) please perform a firmware update. If your device is working well then we do not recommend the firmware update. These tools were developed when we were a kickstarter project so they are not the most user friendly. For most macOS users we recommend the new device.
Windows Users:
Windows users should not be experiencing the same type of issues as macOS users with legacy devices. There is a firmware update available for Windows users as well but if your device is working well we do not recommend it as the process is cumbersome.
Will future software/firmware updates fix all the issues:
The firmware of the Legacy devices is based on a completely different chip that is being utilized at capacity. There is no room for additional programs, lighting effects, routines, or even functions at this point on the Legacy devices. Legacy devices also rely on a third-party touch sensor which is soldered onto the PCB and cannot be bypassed via software so there is no way without destroying the device to update to current standards. So no, a future software/firmware update cannot fix all the issues because some of the issues are caused by the underlying hardware.
We will however continue to make features that we support in the app available to the older hardware unless its not possible. For now most features within the application are still supportable on the older hardware.
If you bought from a platform that supports easy returns (amazon.com) you may consider returning the legacy device and buying directly from us. That is currently the only way to ensure you get the modern device.
If buying from Amazon please ensure that MuteMe LLC is the seller. Additionally, please do not leave negative reviews on the product listing since these third party sellers are using our listing page and it only hurts us and does not impact them. We are working with Amazon to resolve this issue.
Last Updated: 9:06AM - PST - October 26, 2022
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