Tired of pairing your phone with your car, for some reason? Well, good news: Spotify is making its first-ever gadget, a dashboard accessory named “Car Thing“, available for anybody and everyone to buy.

The streaming giant announced Car Thing roughly ten months ago, in April 2021, and it was basically free (save for the cost of shipping) for Spotify Premium subscribers who signed up for a waitlist. The catch was that it was a very limited release, and very few people actually got one. But as of today, anybody can purchase Spotify’s Car Thing for the cool price of $90.

The Car Thing is designed for Spotify subscribers who want was it basically the ultimate Spotify streaming device for their car. It plugs into your car (via USB or a 12-volt adapter), rests on your dashboard (via an air vent or CD player mount) and provides the driver with a big touchscreen to view and control their music and podcasts. It also has a built-in voice assistant that works with “Hey Spotify” commands, so you can control your music hands-free.

Of course, Car Thing might not be a game-changer for all Spotify subscribers. The device still needs to be tethered via Bluetooth to your smartphone, and you’ll still consume data. So it won’t allow you to leave the house sans smartphone. And if you’re on a strict data plan, you’ll want to download your music or podcasts to your smartphone over Wi-Fi beforehand.

Spotify’s Car Thing is essentially a glorified Spotify remote for people who don’t have Bluetooth in their cars. If you have a large smartphone and a car mount, Car Thing does essentially the same job (albeit with a few convenient features like a large knob and voice control). That said, if you’re a Spotify super fan, or you just want something that’s a little nicer for music control than your smartphone, then this is the perfect accessory upgrade for your car.

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