Two weeks with Spotify’s Car Thing

After years of rumor, assurance and vague explanation, Spotify has finally made its first piece of equipment to select users. Even the company revealed the file of More on Car Thing earlier this month, with “smaller releases” yet. I’ve been with my car Thing for two days (obviously), and I can tell you one thing – this dedicated Spotify player is the best developer for your phone.

Back story

Spotify first reached out to the car music group in 2018. It gave a few Reddit readers the opportunity to test an integrated device that is said to be a voice control and 4G connection. The company did not respond at the time, and it is not known if any of the original units went into the wild.

In 2019, reports indicated that Spotify was ready to send car player. Much of the insult was due to an accurate description of the Car Thing released this month. The program of Economic Times reports mentioned the voice-correction interface, but also added a lot of pre-configured buttons to the game list and Bluetooth connectivity. Immediately, the company began to expand Seeing a Car to its apps: something that changes the simple interface when using your phone when connected to your car via Bluetooth.

A few months later in May 2019, the company disclosed the name The car along with the translations of a masterfully crafted tool. Spotify explained that testing the first of its kind is possible, and in addition to confirming the previously mentioned specs, it added that the Car Thing will be powered by a 12-volt vehicle and will be able to connect to your phone. The company remained silent on the project until it resumed in January. Car Made form at FCC and a very different design for the first 2021. And even though we didn’t know it at the time, this is a tool that (some) users will eventually get a chance to use.

Making

The Car Thing is a device that is slightly smaller than the iPhone 11, almost anywhere. It’s a slim show with a big screen on the front. The melody is just another way to turn on the feeling window, allowing you to move through the menus around. Pressing a large round button displays the movement in an album, playlist or podcast. Below the button there is a back button that takes you to the Now Player mode, back to the Home screen or close the instrument – depending on where you start.

Four pre-set buttons are located on the top row for quick access to lists, albinos and podcasts. This can be set up by the press and caught or interrogated by passengers. voice assistant to do for you. “Hey Spotify, keep this ready (1-4)” he cheats. Ditto by playing in one reserved location. You can print the appropriate button or request with your own words. When you save a podcast, Car Thing will play the latest game when you click the pre-set button or ask for it to be played. Four microphones were mounted alongside the pre-set buttons to hear the music when the music started or rolled the windows. There is also the Settings button on the top right which gives you the option to select a few. One of the most effective tools it provides is the ability to block microphones.

At the back, there is one USB-C port for an electronic adapter. It’s in the middle of the device instead of sitting on the edge like your phone, which is why I need to always connect the cable kale apply it to everything. It would be very difficult to try to do that if the Car Thing was already there.

What the Car Reminds Me receiver XM XM I loved using the ’99 Pontiac Grand Am. This had never happened before integration with Sirius-XM. In the past, you used the radio frequently to connect the TV receiver to your car and to install antenna magnet somewhere outside. Like the Car Thing, these small arms provide a way to get “new” rivers without lifting the ship. In addition, its structure and size are similar. Obviously, what Spotify offers and edits audio and audio is worth 2021 more than just physical buttons and monochrome displays in the early 2000s.

Initial installation

There are a few steps for the Driver Car to start working, but the whole process takes less than five minutes. First, I have to choose which mountain to use. Spotify incorporates three options in the dash box, air intake and CD. The choice depends on your preferences and the interior design of your car. I went with the insert CD as it put the Car Thing closer than the other two options, and put it on display.

As you can see from my photos, this closes a small show in my 2006 Honda Element – especially time. It also looks like it’s hard to have a second device placed in front of your fixed stereo. In the end, I thought that looking at it easily and accessible was better than just getting close to the wheel to start blowing air or using stickers to build something on the line.

If you choose a place near the air, Car Thing will let you know what might cause it. When the device detects that the wind is blowing near its microphone, both the spoken and the audible tell me that I may have difficulty using the voice. The device also recommends testing another location or another mount. I had no problem with Car Thing disobeying my rules – even if I had been shooting right away.

The next step is to cut the Car Thing into the power source. For me, this meant a 12-volt display. From there, I ran the Car options app in Spotify app. This app will help you to connect with Our Car and your phone via Bluetooth. This is an important part as the player always needs to connect to your phone to get everything. Your phone is the brain behind everything that the Car does, including the connection.

The setting asked if I could connect my car via Bluetooth or aux cable. But even if I did choose one, I would not change anything if I moved from the 2021 Honda Pilot, where my phone was connected via Bluetooth, to the old Element when my only option was. When things are connected and connected, music can begin. From now on, as soon as I get in my car and connect my phone via Bluetooth or cable, the Car Thing just turns on and does the same thing as soon as I leave it connected to the power supply.

Old car, new tricks

When it comes to content, there is no single way to offer four modified buttons. Since Dependent Car depends on your phone, everything from your Spotify account just pops up. As in the program, the Home Screen displays ideas based on recent tasks. At the top of the window, there are search tabs (with recent results) and Your Library.

This large image emphasizes the disc and displays the artwork, giving you a place to remember the parts as you go. Once again, you can navigate through this and any other menu by using swiping or by turning physical music. Each section of the Home Screen only displays five items before moving on to the next section. There’s a way to show more before you move on to the next destination, which is why you don’t just have a few recent ones.

Spotify has provided word search for a while within its programming, so it’s no surprise that the powerful voice correction on the Car Thing works so well. The four microphones above did a great job of picking up my voice, and they did this with the promised music. I have never had any problems playing albinos, music, lists or podcasts. I also had a problem with artists who were not properly named or portrayed as Sunn O))), PVRIS and Bon Iver.

Surprisingly, Car Thing featured PVRIS as a reference for what I asked for, but he started playing French and “Paris” songs in his head. As for Bon Iver, the vocalist misinterpreted my reference to North Carolina as Boney Bear and played Boy & Bear for the first five attempts. Finally, I found it. No problems at all with Gotye, HAIM or SBTRKT though. As with other vocabularies, it helps to be clear, and some of the frustrations were because I was not clear.

I also had a problem when several artists had the same name (Knives vs. NYVES) as well as where the style and pronunciation differed. It would probably help if Spotify realized that I had been listening to the last one and not the first one. Sometimes as ††† (Crosses), the artist’s name is in the literature, which may have contributed to the word search while the written moniker is merely a symbol. I don’t think one of the things that annoyed me was the hardware problem and it’s possible to deal with a Spotify voice server. And the technology can be easily modified to catch others in unfamiliar terms.

Like Car View, the game interface on Car Thing is simple. There are album / podcast artwork by the artist as well as the title along with the main buttons on the bottom to move, jump, play / stop and save from left to right. Music and playlists are essential, with an emphasis on music and song.

wrap up

I admit I was ready to get rid of Car Thing at first embarrassment. It seemed unnecessary, even in my Honda Element, when I had my own phone that works well as a music player – and it has an assistant. Heck, Spotify app has a controlling voice. But as I began to use the tool, I began to understand its purpose. While it seems that only Spotify die could be interested in such things, it upgrades old cars. I no longer control the voice in Element, and the ability to have Waze on my phone with Spotify on another show has reduced the need to search with this when driving. If you have OCD for cables and connectors, the Car Thing is also remodeled, but there are stronger solutions than I have ever tried.

The big question is whether Spotify can make this public. The company did not say how many people would be included in the “limited release” – a time to call themselves when users could register for a share. Spotify has stated that it can expect to pay around $ 80 per item if it sells, and that it wants to open up a larger deal in the future. So far, Car Thing is still “exploring” and interested in the company’s first production of electronic devices.