Spotify enters hardware market with ‘Car Thing’ accessory, here’s what it does

Since it is made by Spotify, you obviously get the ‘Hey Spotify’ feature in this as well.

Spotify Car Thing. (Spotify)

Spotify, one of the most popular music streaming services, has made an entry into the hardware segment by launching a smart player called ‘Car Thing'. This is a form of an infotainment system that is aimed for those customers who don't have a modern car with fully built-in infotainment screen and functions. It brings Android Auto and Apple CarPlay features to these users and lets them control it using their voice, touch and a built-in dial.

Since it is made by Spotify, you obviously get the ‘Hey Spotify' feature in this as well. While this was for voice controls, the touch is said to be used for more granular navigation. The dial can be used to browse through the Spotify library, select music, and more. In addition you get four presets on the main screen so you can access your favourite playlist without working on it a lot and getting distracted.

However, Spotify's Car Thing is not a thing that is available for all. It is limited to the US market and you require an invite to buy it. The invite can be found on the company's dedicated website. Although the reason for limiting the sale is not known, one can only assume that Spotify is trying to control it since it just wants to test it with limited users. This might be rolled out more widely and probably without invites at a later stage if everything goes well.

This might be close to what we experience with Amazon Echo Auto but with a screen and a dial for easy navigation and slightly limited functionalities.