Samsung has released its Galaxy Muse, a portable MP3 player that is both compact and lightweight in the U.S, and is gearing up to challenge iPod Shuffle. Priced at just $49.99, the Galaxy Muse is the perfect budget-friendly on-the-go music companion and is also compatible with the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 smartphones.

"Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the No. 1 smartphone provider worldwide¹ -  is giving Galaxy^TM smartphone users in the United States an amazing new way to enjoy music on the go called Galaxy Muse^TM. Coupled with the Muse Sync Android^TM app, Samsung is providing Galaxy S® III and Galaxy Note® II owners an innovative new way of syncing music that frees them from their PC²," noted the press release.

When it comes to physicality and design, the tiny Galaxy Muse bears a semblance to Samsung's latest Galaxy smartphones, including the trademark rounded pebble-like design and the Marble White and Pebble blue color scheme.

"The Galaxy Muse expands the Samsung Galaxy product portfolio to offer music on-the-go in a compact and lightweight player, with songs shared directly from our award-winning smartphones," said Kevin Packingham, chief product officer at Samsung Mobile. "Muse is the latest example of Samsung delivering another outlet for content consumption across the entire spectrum of consumer electronics."

The stylish Galaxy Muse fits easily into pockets or can be clipped onto shirt sleeves thanks to its diminutive size and smooth form factor. The device measures 1.7 x 1.25 x 0.5 inches and weighs just 13.8gms. It has an on-board storage of 4GB and supports up to six hours of play time. The Galaxy Muse also packs in Samsung's SoundAlive technology, which ensures rich sound quality, and Samsung claims "users notice deeper bass and enhanced tone when listening to their favorite songs, as SoundAlive intelligently adjusts sound quality and clarity."

Furthermore, the Galaxy Muse's functionalities are enhanced by a dedicated Android app i.e. Muse Sync, which lets users sync music without the aid of a PC. The Galaxy Muse can easily connect to the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note 2 smartphones and sync the songs (once the Muse Sync app is downloaded) via a USB-to-3.5mm headset jack, negating the need for the smartphone to be brought along when users are out and about.

With Samsung locking horns with arch rival Apple in the music player space, it will be interesting to see how the device fares in the long run. Price wise there's not much of a difference between the two as the iPod Shuffle is priced at $49. However at 12.5gms the Apple offering is slightly lighter, which may be due to its shorter length. Thickness and width wise both the Galaxy Muse and iPod Shuffle are on even keel.

However, the iPod Shuffle edges out the Galaxy Muse with ease when it comes to playback time 15 hours on the former vis-a-vis 6 hours on the latter. Samsung's USP for the Galaxy Muse could well be its ability to sync with the company's smartphones.

Whether the Galaxy Muse can challenge the iPod Shuffle and eat into Apple's market share remains to be seen.

The Muse Sync app for the Galaxy Muse can be downloaded for free from either Google Play or Samsung Apps.

The Galaxy Muse is compatible with Galaxy S2, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy S2 Skyrocket. It is available in two colors - Pebble Blue and Marble White - for $49.99 and can be purchased online from Samsung.com.