T3 India – August 2019

W W W.T3INDIA .COM AUGUST 2019 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 77

Tested

Theretromusicplayergetsa Wi-Fiupgrade

Saregama Carvaan 2.0

RETRO WIRELESS

aregamahitthejackpotyearsagowhentheyfirst

launchedtheCarvaanmusicplayer.Itwasanideal

playerforsomeonewhowantedtolistentooldhit

songs.SincethenSaregamahaslaunchedmany

Carvaandevicesindifferentsizesandfordifferentlanguages.This

monthwetakealookatCarvaan2.0,makingitthefirstCarvaan

devicethattakesadvantageofWi-Fi.

AlthoughpreloadedoldsongsarethehighlightinCarvaan

devices,anotherthingthatgoesforitisthedesign.TheCarvaan2.0

featurestheoldtransistordesignthataddstothenostalgicvalue

butwithsomemoderntouches.Variousaudiofunctionbuttons

likeartistes,moods,GeetmalaandWi-Fiareplacedonthefront

alongwithjogdial,smalldisplayandprevious/nextbuttons.

There’savolumesliderand3.5mmheadphonejackontheright-

handsidewhiletheleftsportsdifferentaudiomodeslike

Saregama,Bluetooth,USBandAM/FMTunerphysicalkeys.

IfyouhaveusedCarvaanbefore,you’llfeelrightathome.You

can play songs based on your favourite artist, mood or decade-wise

segregated Geetmala with commentary from Ameen Sayani.

Carvaan’s algorithm ensures you don’t listen to the same song again

(for some time) which is a smart move considering the huge

pre-installed library. The good thing is Saregama bundles a remote

control along with Carvaan 2.0 because navigating through the dial

is laggy where the device keeps scrolling even when you’ve stopped

rotating the jog dial.

The audio quality is decent that easily fills up the room but if

you’re looking for something better, Carvaan’s Gold variant comes

with Harman Kardon speakers.

Carvaan 2.0 also supports the free Carvaan app. Downloadable

S

VERDICT

WE’RE IMPRESSED Design, audio library

WE’D IMPROVE App

THE LAST WORD The app needs work but Carvaan

2.0 takes you back with its nostalgic design and

preloaded retro songs

WORDS KUNALGANGAR

on Android or iOS, the app gives a better way to sift through the

5,000 preloaded songs. It allows users to glean through the library,

search and play a particular song or create a playlist. The app is also

needed for the setup of the Wi-Fi mode and once it’s configured,

the app can be used again to stream songs over Wi-Fi from the

library. While this idea to expand the library wirelessly is

interesting, the actual library that can be streamed over Wi-Fi is

not. The devotional category takes over the first few stations

followed by health, lifestyle, entertainment, kids and music. We

would have liked using the app more if it allowed us to customise

our app experience.

That said, the Carvaan 2.0’s preloaded library is solid and users

looking to reminisce retro songs will appreciate. The app is a logical

extension but also remains Carvaan’s weak point that makes it

more complex for the crowd it targets.

PRICE`7,9 9 0URLsaregama.comBLUETOOTHYe sAM/

FMTUNERYe sPRE-LOADEDSONGSYes, 5000 songs

USBPORTYe sWI-FIYe sAPPSUPPORTYe s

BATTERYLIFEUpto 6 hours