ICYMI: We tested the Volkswagen ID.4 EV crossover

This week, our analyzes cross several categories: first, Andrew Tarantola drove the VW ID.4 EV across the bay to see how Volkswagen fared with a compact SUV. Meanwhile, Nicole Lee has found a lot to like about Mila’s smart air purifier, which has several themed filters and modes that can be customized. Billy Steele listened to the new Sport Open headphones from Bose, which are designed to be on the outside of the ear to allow a better perception of what is around you. And in a quest for better home security, Devindra Hardawar installed Arlo’s Video Doorbell and Pro 3 cameras in his home to see what the system could do. Nicole also considered several lights and smart watches to see which one deserves a place on her nightstand, and I tested four smart white noise makers designed to be used in a nursery.

After driving the VW ID.4 EV, Andrew Tarantola concluded that it is a solid first attempt at a practical electric car from the German automaker. The specifications of ID.4 are similar to those of competing gas models, such as the Honda CRV: a 77.0 kWh lithium-ion battery produces 201 HP and 229 pound-feet of torque. This means that the EV crossover took a while to reach 60 mph – seven and a half seconds – which seemed indifferent to Andrew. The vehicle also weighs over 4,600 pounds, which is robust for an EV.

The ID.4 has an EPA estimated range of 250 miles, which Andrew says makes it look more urban-oriented and commutes near charging stations. Andrew felt a little bit of reach anxiety when he tested ID.4 and saw how quickly the power meter has shrunk, but ID.4 supports fast-charging protocols that should help drivers get back up and running quickly. Despite the sparse interior, strange gear shifting and complicated infotainment controls, Andrew liked the car’s design and said the cabin was spacious and comfortable. He was surprised, however, by the lack of steering on a pedal and had some difficulty with the lane maintenance feature, but he still said that the ID.4 EV was worthy of consideration.

The $ 199 Sport Open headphones are similar to other real wireless products that Bose offers; the rigid plastic buttons are designed to attach to the ear and stay out of the ear canal. But these new buttons use 16 mm drivers and acoustic ports to channel music directly to your ears. This should increase comfort and allow the user to hear better around them. They are also water resistant and have simple controls and a good 8-hour battery. However, as Billy Steele discovered when testing the buttons, the commitments remain.

Most notably, the sound quality was great. Although the song had decent clarity, the lack of a serious beat drained the energy of many songs. Billy said he found them better for podcasts than many musical genres. The audio calls came clearly, but the person on the other end could hear along with a lot of background noise. And while the open design meant that Billy could hear everything around him, it also meant that everyone in his house could hear what he was hearing, even at low volume. In addition, there is also no customization available in the application. These disadvantages left Billy wondering if the open design was worth exchanging.

Although smart air purifiers have been on the market for a few years now, Nicole Lee points out that the technology for these products generally focuses on a few features. This is not the case with the Mila air purifier, which offers more customization than most – although it comes at a cost. The $ 360 Mila impressed her with the app’s features, as well as its performance and design, however, at 30 inches wide by 15.5 inches tall, it takes up quite a lot of space.

Nicole liked the variety of filters available for Mila (seven in total), which are designed for different uses, such as pet owners and parents. She tried the Pet Cuddler, which worked well to eliminate odors from the litter box, and the Basic Respirator, which worked well for larger residential areas. She was also satisfied with the ease of configuration and the amount of details available in the application for indoor and outdoor air quality indexes. She also found the various settings useful, such as Sleep mode and White noise mode useful. However, the entire system will be expensive – Mila filters are proprietary and cost $ 59 per unit, and Mila itself costs $ 100 more than competing devices.

When Devindra Hardawar was looking for a smart doorbell, he chose to try Arlo’s video doorbell because it doesn’t have the same privacy concerns as Amazon’s Ring cameras. Although he liked the sleek device and its features well enough to add some of the company’s Pro 3 cameras, he did have some problems getting the right amount of power to the doorbell during setup. But once Video Doorbell was installed correctly, Devindra found a lot to like about 1080p HDR video, smartphone alerts and the extra coverage that additional cameras provided.

The Pro 3 cameras were much easier to set up and position, and the combination of Arlo’s doorbell and wireless cameras helped deter package thieves while also capturing images of wildlife visiting. Devindra signed up for Arlo’s $ 10 per month Smart Premier plan, which includes 2K video uploads, 30 days of backups and the ability to specify zones for motion alerts. The app made it easy to view an alert library and the camera’s HomeKit support allowed it to connect to Apple hardware and Siri. Although he experienced some hiccups with live streaming delays and unnecessary motion alerts, he is still planning to expand the configuration with more cameras.