8/24/2023 0 Comments Spotify car thingSign-ups are live now at a website dedicated to the device. “Instead, it’s another step in our larger ubiquity strategy - creating a truly frictionless audio experience for our users, wherever they are and however they choose to listen.”Ĭar Thing is currently available as a limited product launch in the US only. “The limited release of Car Thing is not meant to compete with in-car infotainment systems,” Spotify explains in a blog post. While the company does gather voice and usage info (including audio recordings) to improve the hardware, it says it isn't collecting any more data than it does inside its mobile apps. Spotify also explains that the hardware isn't solely a means of collecting user data either. It explains that it “saw a need from our users, many of whom were missing out on a seamless and personalized in-car listening experience.” The company says that Car Thing offers “a superior listening experience” no matter the year or model of your car. Spotify is adamant a “limited release” of Car Thing doesn’t mean the company is now focused on creating hardware. And of course, you’re free to search for anything in Spotify’s massive collection of music and podcasts if you need to stream something else. Shortcuts on the Home screen are personalized and updated throughout the day based on your listening activity. In terms of content, Car Thing displays separate tabs for playlists, artists, albums and podcasts that you’ve saved to your library. The company says Car Thing’s four microphones will ensure the voice setup hears your commands even when music is playing or the windows are rolled down. “Hey Spotify” is handy for searching and playing what you’re looking for without reaching for the device, but it can also assist with saving songs to your library. You can ask the helper to play or show anything from artists and songs to podcasts and playlists. The company just added its own voice assistant to its mobile apps last week, and that tech gives you the option to use this hardware hands-free when needed. Spotify is showing off its voice control abilities with Car Thing. Overall, the interface design is very similar to the company’s mobile apps. Like Spotify’s Car View, the UI is simplified on the player, serving up album art and basic controls with bold fonts for visibility. Underneath the dial is a back button that takes you to the Now Playing screen, returns to Home or to closes the player interface. To navigate through your content library, you can rotate the dial and press it or tap on the screen to see specific track details for a playlist, album or podcast. You can also say “Hey Spotify” to play each of the presets if you can’t, or don’t want to, press any of the buttons. You can press and hold one of them to save whatever is playing or use a voice command to set them hands-free. Spotify says those four items are also stored for offline playback. Four preset buttons along the top allow you to save your favorite music, podcasts and news for one-touch access. It also reminds me of the satellite radio receiver I used in the pre-merger days of Sirius and XM Radio. The gadget is noticeably smaller than a smartphone, though it kind of resembles one due to the touch screen. The company includes CD player, dash and vent mounts in the box for you to choose from. In either case, your phone is the internet connection and the ticket to Spotify content while the Car Thing is mostly a controller and display. The device can connect to your car stereo wirelessly via Bluetooth or wired with an aux or USB jack. Car Thing connects to your phone via Bluetooth and it’s powered by the 12-volt port. As most things are these days, the device can be controlled by voice (“Hey Spotify”), but it has a dial, touch screen and preset buttons for physical interaction as well. First and foremost, it’s a dedicated player for Spotify’s music and podcast library. Back in 2019, the company pretty much tipped its hand entirely on Car Thing.
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