When officially launched, the “anticipated retail price” will be $80. 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. Just got an email from Spotify with instructions on how to setup the Car Thing and it says it 'will be sent out soon, you'll receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking number'. Use the dial to browse, select, play, pause, and discover.”īrowsing requires looking at the screen. Just re-read the email and it does say that it will ship in 'a few weeks' so I guess this is normal and I just missed that originally. “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.

When does spotify car thing come out