- I just got a large package in from Spotify
with something I've been waiting almost a year
to get my hands on, Car Thing.
It's Spotify's first hardware product
that is meant to work alongside your smartphone
and their music service to make listening
in your car more enjoyable.
Let's open this up and see what's inside.
(upbeat music)
All right, let's move all this out of the way.
I don't know what this is, hay or something.
Anyway, that's gone.
First, here are a handful
of Spotify pins in different colors.
Shout out to that orange one
along with Camp Bonita Road Trip, Instant Coffee.
I'm not the biggest coffee drinker, but okay.
By the way, I guess this box is all about Spotify
providing all the necessary essentials for a road trip.
Next, a bag of Route 11 Potato Chips, okay.
Kettle cooked, never heard of this brand
but I'm just gonna assume
since they chose this, that they're delicious.
A pack of Tile Mate trackers, which you can attach
to things like your keys or put in your bag to track
in case you lose something during your road trip.
There's also a Spotify premium Popsocket
and a Porter ceramic mug to keep your drinks hot
or cold while you're driving.
Now, look at this, even a little jar
of rainbow bites candies, which looks super good.
And of course the Car Thing itself
which we will open up right now,
while I tell you more about it.
Car Thing is Spotify's attempts
to revolutionize the way that people interact
with their cars.
And it's a simple idea.
Keep driver's eyes on the road and not on their cell phones
or other distractions while still allowing them access
to Spotify's vast music library.
Once connected to the car
through your phone's Bluetooth connection
Car Thing will display a custom UI that only shows
what the driver needs in order to stay informed
and entertained without diverting their attention away
from driving.
Now, this includes song information and album art
as well as playlist and radio selection screens.
In the box you get three mounts, giving you the option
of attaching Car Thing to your air vents, your dashboard
or your CD player.
You also get a 12 volt car adapter with two USB-A ports.
One of which you plug into Car Thing to power it.
It does require a paid Spotify premium account to use
as well as a Bluetooth connection
to your smartphone for data.
Now, Car Thing itself is made with a sturdy unibody design
with a mate textured rubber build.
When using Car Thing, you can immediately tell
that Spotify's UI engineers had put some serious thought
into optimizing the software for use while driving.
Navigation through menu screens is fast and smooth
with a large knob, you can spin and press
along with a back button right underneath it.
And of course, a four inch touch display.
There are also four preset buttons
along the top of the device that are fully customizable
letting you map them to albums,
playlists, podcasts, et cetera.
Now finally, you also get voice control built in
just say "Hey Spotify..." and tell it
what you wanna listen to when it'll start playing it for you
hands free without needing to interact with the screen.
Now there are four microphones integrated
into the top of the device
to make sure it picks up your voice
and it even works great when the windows are down.
Now, here are some examples
of what you can do with your voice.
Hey Spotify, show my playlists.
Hey Spotify, play me something.
Hey Spotify, play the latest episode of "Geared Up."
That's my briefly podcast
which you should be subscribed to if you're not already.
Hey Spotify, show nineties hip hop.
Hey Spotify, show today's hits.
Hey Spotify, shuffle today's top hits.
So as you can see, super easy.
Now it is worth noting
Car Thing does have a couple of limitations
since it is optimized for use in the car.
For example, streaming music or podcasts
over wifi is impossible due to power restrictions.
Now here's the thing though.
Car Thing costs $90
and all it does, is give you a visual display for Spotify.
That's it.
If you ever switch to Apple music,
YouTube music, title, Pandora, et cetera
Car Thing becomes useless and reminder
you need to be a Spotify premium member to use it.
So if you're one of the many millions
of people who use Spotify's free tier
you're out of luck here too.
Now I get that Spotify is saying
that it's the best way to access the service
When in the car, allowing you to use voice control
to keep your eyes on the road
and that is important.
But if you have a car that supports Apple CarPlay
or Android Auto, I have a hard time seeing
why you should spend the extra money here.
Alternatively,
if you have a car that doesn't support those services
or doesn't have a touch display at all
because it's a little bit older,
then Car Thing starts to make a lot more sense
if you're a paying Spotify premium subscriber.
And that's Car Thing, available now from Spotify
again 89.99 is the price.
Let me know what you think though
is $90 worth a dedicated piece of hardware
specifically to access one paid streaming music service.
Let me know in a comments below
I'll meet you there for further discussion.
Thanks for watching as always guys
I appreciate your support.
I'm Andru Edwards, and I'll catch you in the next video.