A "Shocking" Wearable, A Tiny E-Book, and A Phone With Something To Prove – Gadget Grab Bag!

This episode of "Gadget Grab Bag" for May 2026 features four unique gadgets, focusing on deeper dives into fewer products. **Pavlock Shock Clock:** * This fitness band incorporates a "torture device" applying 600 volts to the wrist, designed to wake up heavy sleepers. * It uses aversive conditioning to help break bad habits by associating a shock with undesirable actions like face-touching or nail-biting. * The device costs $160 and requires significant self-discipline for weeks of training. * Its design is not aesthetically pleasing, featuring glossy plastic, unremarkable rubber buttons, and a generic silicone band. * A "Shock Clock Max" version with a screen is available for an extra cost. * Features include a community option for remote shocking and training for lucid dreaming. * A key improvement needed is a strap lock to prevent easy removal, ensuring its effectiveness as an alarm. **Extinct X3 E-reader:** * This comically tiny e-reader, measuring 3.7 inches, is designed for ultimate portability, inspired by Charlie Munger's habit of constant reading. * It offers a more comfortable reading experience than a phone, with an e-paper display. * Weighing 58 grams, it has no "pocket penalty" and can attach to MagSafe-equipped phones, though magnets are weak. * Battery life is measured in weeks, and it uses a non-standard magnetic charger. * The 250 PPI e-ink display is sharp, and the device is comfortable to hold. * Unlike Kindles, it requires loading books via a micro SD card or wireless connection, which was problematic in the pre-release unit. * It lacks a backlight, necessitating a physical book light for dark environments, and requires users to pivot to open digital library formats. * Despite initial skepticism, its small size could make reading as frictionless as "doom scrolling." **Oppo Find X9 Ultra Smartphone:** * This smartphone earns its "Ultra" branding through its presentation, not just specs. * The Tundra Umber colorway and orange accents pay homage to Hasselblad cameras, Oppo's optics partner. * It features an incredible optics module with spectacular specs. * A disappointment was the lack of tactile rotation on the camera crater, unlike the Leica phone. * Oppo also released a ridiculous 300mm telephoto add-on, boosting the phone's 3x zoom to 13x optical. This attachment is huge, heavy, and obstructs other cameras, appearing more as a "stunt." * The accompanying case is well-designed, with a responsive zoom toggle and tripod mount options. * The phone suffers from unoriginal, iPhone-emulating software and a high price tag. **The Wand Company Triorder Replica:** * This replica from the original Star Trek series serves as a companion to the communicator replica previously reviewed. * It functions as more than a toy, with interchangeable discs enabling electromagnetic field detection, barometric pressure and ambient temperature recording, and compass navigation. * It can display information on planetary bodies, archived news, and record/play log entries. * The product boasts incredible attention to detail, with custom UI adhering to the 60-year-old show's visual language. * Hardware design used scans of a 1960s prop, featuring a crystal-framed LCD mimicking the original's CRT look, machined aluminum, and textured casing. * The six-year development is evident in the final product's quality. * It offers more functionality and higher quality than other replicas in its class, made with love and reverence for the source material.