Spotify’s Car Thing is now up for grabs, no waitlist required
Spotify’s long been one of the best destinations for music streaming, and recently we’ve seen the provider start expanding into the hardware space with itsCar Thing– a handy little gadget for controlling your music while driving. Following anannouncementlast spring, the company introduced a waitlist system for users eager to purchase one but it was almost lottery-like, with just a handful of those signing up actually having the chance to buy. If youdidn’t make the cutback then, you’ll be happy to learn that Spotify has finally opened general sales of Car Thing in the US.
The gadget is designed for cars that might lack fancy touchscreen displays (to say nothing ofAndroid Auto) or for people sick of using dash mounts with their phones. It offers an intuitive driving-friendly UI with its colorful 4-inch panel and can be operated through a combination of touch, physical controls, and voice commands.
That all sounds good, but as we noted in ourCar Thing review, the limited nature of this device might not appeal to people dependent on all the flexibility of dash-mounted phones. It’s also worth considering that this still needs your phone’s Bluetooth and internet connection to function — this is no stand-alone streamer.
In addition tosharing news of this wider availability, Spotify also revealed that it’s working on a Night Mode that will dim the screen automatically, as well as an Add to Queue command for lining up music and podcasts by simply using your voice.
If you’re still interested,$90 will set you up with the Car Thing itself, along with all the mounting and charging hardware you’ll need. Just don’t forget to also factor in the cost of a Spotify Premium subscription, which Car Thing requires.
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