Lastly, users must be able to connect their phone to the vehicle’s audio unit whether through Bluetooth, USB or an auxiliary port, since the Car Thing connects to your phone’s Spotify app and mirrors it to the device’s touchscreen.Īs mentioned earlier, the Spotify Car Thing is only available in the United States. It has larger icons to make inputs easier than tapping away on a mobile phone.įor those who want the Spotify Car Thing, the device requires a power source (12 Volts or USB outlet), users must also be a Spotify premium account member as well. Its interface is supposedly very car-friendly version of its mobile app. The small device features a touchscreen, dial, preset buttons and voice control. When officially launched, the “anticipated retail price” will be $80.The Car Thing’s main purpose remains the same, it’s supposed to be able to bring and mirror the Spotify listening experience to older cars who don’t have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities. And the result is a kind of neat product with an odd look, a cool name, and a potentially fatal flaw.Ĭar Thing is available in limited release in the United States for free, with a $7 shipping and handling charge. It’s almost like Spotify built the voice control aspect of the product, and then lost faith. Will people use it while driving? Absolutely. And none of that looking at the screen should be happening, ideally, while you’re operating a multi-ton motor vehicle.Ĭan it be used while stopped? Absolutely. Playing is probably just a tap, as is pausing. Selecting requires looking at the screen. Use the dial to browse, select, play, pause, and discover.”īrowsing requires looking at the screen. “You can also browse deeper, curating the perfect soundtrack to wherever you’re headed. “Try the dial for a hands-on way to steer to the audio you love,” Spotify says. And a massively flawed design choice at the same time.īecause while you can reach for the knob and grab it without looking - unlike a screen - the knob’s actual functionality includes almost nothing that you don’t still need your eyes for. Spotifyīut that’s also the Achilles heel of the product.
0 kommentar(er)
