SmartStream

Spotify premium subscribers may soon have a dedicated device to take their music with them. The “Mighty” looks like an iPod Shuffle and can play 48 hours of music without an internet connection or a smartphone nearby. Currently running a Kickstarter campaign, the Mighty is the first attempt to create a device that can download music from a service other than Apple iTunes.

The Mighty is a 1.5-inch square that clips onto clothing. It looks similar to the small iPod shuffle with a wheel to fast forward, reverse and adjust volume. A small button advances through your downloaded playlists. There is no video or LED display to see the current song or playlist but a voice will announce the playlists as you scroll through. The Mighty app for iPhone or Android can be used as a remote to easily choose the music you would like to hear but isn’t required to play music.

In its early development, a listener can only choose playlists and not specific songs. Still, with a little creative planning, you could create a good workout playlist or a playlist that contains a single album or artist, then skip forward or back to find the song you want to hear.

Because playlists are downloaded to the Mighty, it requires a premium paid Spotify membership for the playlists to be available offline. Spotify allows users to download playlists with a total of 3,333 songs to each of 3 devices and does not specify the types of devices. The Mighty runs an Android operating system that can legitimately download Spotify music. This detail is important as the makers of the Mighty haven’t gotten the blessing of Spotify in the form of any kind of actual partnership.

The main use of the small Mighty is to take music with you while exercising or other times when you might not want to bring your phone. Sweat and shock (drop) resistant, it is small and can attach to workout clothing. It has Bluetooth to play to wireless headphones or to stream to a Bluetooth speaker for hours of Spotify streaming in the home.

The Mighty will sell for $79 when it hits the stores (available on Kickstarter for $70). While it’s not a done deal, the Mighty Kickstarter campaign raised half of its $250,000 goal in the first 3 days and there is still 27 days to raise the money needed. With the number of avid Spotify users, it's likely that Mighty Audio will succeed in reaching its goal. Delivery is expected before the 2016 holiday season. Whether it succeeds or not, it’s an interesting concept to have a device that is dedicated to a music service outside of iTunes.