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