Spotify’s touchscreen and voice-activated car gadget are finally available as a limited release for some eligible US users – but good luck if you get one.
Hints that Car Thing was on its way has recently surfaced both in FCC submissions and in iOS code. Now the company has officially disclosed the Spotify-specific screen with buttons for accessing playlists and podcasts on the go. While Spotify explicitly stated that it is focused on its streaming service rather than becoming a hardware company, it added that it created the gadget “because we saw a need among our users, many of whom have a seamless and personalized listening experience in the world. car. “
The device is compatible with vehicles regardless of make or model and displays a home screen, voice search and a Your Library tab. As with other voice-activated smart devices, hands-free navigation works by asking ‘Hey Spotify’ before asking for a playlist, podcast, song, or artist. Spotify says four microphones on the top of the device allow the device to hear voice commands even with the windows down or volume up.
Although the gadget has a touchscreen, a rotary control provides another way to navigate playlists and audio, as well as to play, pause, and select audio from the menu. As for the touchscreen, Spotify says the device works by swiping to search. Finally, the device includes four preset buttons for quickly navigating podcasts or music and reprogramming them later. You do need a smartphone that supports bluetooth.
Based on practical experience with the device published by the Verge, it sounds like no actual speaker is recorded on the device. Instead, Car Thing can play music through the car speakers when a smartphone is paired via Bluetooth or with an additional cable. The Verge added that Car Thing comes with three mounting accessories for connecting to a vent, the dashboard or the CD player.
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Spotify says the device is available for free to ‘select’ Premium subscribers, aside from shipping costs. Unfortunately, the company says that Car Thing ‘The limited rollout is offered by invitation only. However, if you’d like to try and find one yourself, you can sign up to be placed on the waiting list here