The Car Thing is now on sale
Back in 2019, Spotify revealed that it was working on a physical device, and we’ve followed it throughout 2021. Not too long ago, Spotify sent out units to a select few Spotify users to try out and give feedback. Now, this device is ready to be used by the public. Folks can pick one up for $89.99. While that price isn’t too bad, it’s a $10 jump from the projected price of $79.99.
What is this device?
The Spotify Car Thing is a small tablet-like device that you attach to the dashboard of your car. You use it to navigate your Spotify app while you’re driving. It almost seems like a smart display, but it doesn’t have the bells and whistles. The prime objective of this device is to let you search your music without getting distracted. There’s a big display on the device, but it’s not a touchscreen. Instead, there are four easy-to-press buttons on the top of it that let you choose your music. Also, as you can see from the pictures, there’s a large knob on the front of the device that will let you scroll. Navigating by touch is much safer than looking down to pick your music. If you don’t feel like using the navigation buttons, there’s another way that you can look through the interface. You can use the “Hey Spotify” voice command to control the device. The company is really pushing safer methods of using your device. The Car Thing will get its power from your car’s lighter jack, as there’s no battery in the device. Also, the device doesn’t connect to any network like Wi-Fi or carrier networks. The only connection it has is the Bluetooth connection to your phone. It will navigate your Spotify and select the music to play. This means that your phone will need to be connected to your headphones or your car’s speakers. If you love this music streaming service, and you’re planning on buying one of these devices, it’s only available in the United States for the time being. We don’t know when/if it will launch in other markets in the future.
