Spotify’s Smart Car Player Has Big Ambitions

Many of us spend countless hours on the road each year between commuting to work, dropping kids off at school, running errands, and going on vacations. As a result, there are over 70 million playlists created by users related to driving, on Spotify.

Not content with the software aspect of music streaming, Spotify has ventured toward hardware suport with Car Thing. It’s a limited-edition smart player that puts entertainment, music, news, and podcasts in your car. Similar in size to the now defunct MP4 players, Spotify’s new gadget aims to amplify the experience.

Car Thing enables users in the United States to listen to their favorite tracks instantly, so you can hear your hit song or favorite podcast clip before you even leave the driveway. And you can control it in a few way, whether that’s with voice commands, touch controls, or physical controls.

Car Thing works with any vehicle, irrespective of make or model. The standalone player allows users to bring the entire catalog of music and podcasts om their journey. It’s not a competitor to in-car infotainment systems. It’s an extension of Spotify’s ubiquity strategy to create a a frictionless audio experience, wherever and whenever users choose to listen.

The entire process is straightforward and seamless with Car Thing. Here is how it works:

1. Voice Control
The Spotify voice search allows you to quickly play specific tracks or podcasts, and can even help you discover new music and podcasts. Say “Hey Spotify,” then ask for a song, album, artist, playlist, station, podcast, or video. Car Thing uses four microphones at the top to pick up requests even when you’ve turned up the speakers or your windows down.

2. Get in touch with the audio you love with the dial.
The dial lets you browse, select, play, pause, and discover the perfect tracks for your next adventure.

3. Touch-Screen Display
Using the screen also allows you to see what’s in your library, as well as any results based on voice search. Swipe to explore further or skip to play.

4.Make your favorites even faster by choosing from four preset buttons and changing them whenever you like.
The newest episodes of the podcast and the latest news will always be available on their site.

Spotify’s Car Thing is only available in the U.S. on an invite-only basis, launching on a limited scale. Select Spotify listeners will receive Car Thing at no charge, excluding shipping costs for a specific time period.

It’s only available to eligible Spotify Premium subscribers. A free Car Thing is available while supplies last. While supplies last, one free Car Thing per eligible subscriber. Terms apply.

Take the plunge and join the waitlist at carthing.spotify.com.