9 great reads from CNET this week: Car Thing, AirTags, Netflix and more

Spotify has already found its way onto millions of phones. Now it’s also looking to land on car dashboards, with the widespread launch of its car thing. As a first-generation device, it will have to prove itself, which is perhaps why Spotify’s head of R&D compares it to Amazon’s Kindle, which seems to have done well over the years.

CNET’s Joan Solsman spoke at length with the folks at Spotify to bring us an exclusive look at the history of the $90 car — “a pumped up Spotify remote for your ride,” she calls it — and how it came about , and where it might go from here. Meanwhile, her colleague Lexy Saavides has been a first user of the Thing carand she shares this experience in a first video.

These articles are among the many in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries that have appeared on CNET this week. So this is it. These are the stories you don’t want to miss.

Two million rushed to a waiting list for Spotify’s first hardware. Now that it’s on sale, Spotify’s real test drive has to prove that Car Thing is more than a goofy name.

Apple must work with Google, Samsung, Tile and other rivals to find a solution, privacy experts say.

Comment: Not everyone can deal with streaming services that delete all episodes at once.

Here’s what you need to know about the tactics companies use to stop people leaving.

It will take more than infrastructure to connect rural and tribal communities.

Eye-tracking leader Tobii has some thoughts on why this is the next big step for immersive technology.

If you want to get the most out of FromSoftware’s latest open-world action RPG, make sure you have plenty of free time.

The phone will always be at the center of our digital lives when smart glasses emerge.

I stayed inside the expensive experience for two days, and it’s more complicated than I could imagine.

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Spotify’s car, demystified

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