Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus Air Conditioner Arrives In U.S. To Beat Summer Heatwaves

July 27 update: This post, first published on Friday, July 24, was updated to reveal more details of the Sony Reon Pocket Pro, now it’s available to buy in the U.S.

Sony’s Reon Pocket Pro Plus is a wearable thermal device. It was released earlier this year but for the U.S., the shipping date was scheduled for late July. Well, that’s where we are now, so the device’s arrival in the States seems well timed for the latest high temperatures. Here’s what it is and how it works.

Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus

Sony

Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus: How It Works

If you don’t want to be holding a fan up to your face all the time, Sony’s device is hands-free.

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While portable fans are convenient and useful, Sony’s latest Reon is fully wearable. It works in a different way. Instead of blowing air to cool you down with a breeze effect, this uses cold metal in a carefully chosen position to lower your temperature.

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It has a neckband to hold the main part of the device firmly in place on the nape of your neck. The neckband is adjustable and once you’ve put it in place, you can forget about it. One advantage of the latest model is the plate is a little bigger and heavier which, combined with the widened neckband and more flexible hinge on this model help it to stay put.

The rear plate of solid metal cools the back of your neck, which has the effect of cooling the rest of you down, too. It seems that’s because here the blood flows close to the surface, creating a sensation that feels a little like pressing an ice cube against your skin.

Additionally, because it’s perched on your shoulders, it means your hands are completely free to do whatever it is you’re doing. A handheld fan doesn’t offer as much freedom in that sense.

The Reon Pocket Pro Plus sits under your clothing — well, almost. Although people likely won’t notice it’s there, a bit of it is visible as there’s a vent which directs the warmth it’s drawn from your body away from you. If you’re wearing a collared shirt there’s an extension which pokes out further, funneling the warm air away from you.

Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus: The Tag

A separate add-on is included which can measure the ambient temperature.

It comes with a small device called a Wearable Sensing Device (TAG) which connects wirelessly to the companion smartphone app, and detects the ambient temperature. This means that it can automatically adjust the cooling temperature accordingly.

You can also change the temperature yourself using physical buttons on the device or the smartphone app.

Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus: Improvements

Sony has added new features, improved power and more.

The latest model is not the first from Sony but it’s enhanced in a series of ways. First, it goes cooler than the last model by 20%, Sony says. Secondly, it has safety cut-outs so that if the device begins to overheat, it will shut down automatically — after all, you’re trying to get cooler, not hotter. Also, the new model also has a Smart Mode which is designed to adjust the temperature automatically.

Though the new model is a touch heavier than the last model, the weight distribution is designed to keep it from becoming fatiguing to wear for long periods.

Sony Reon Pro Plus thermo device

Sony

Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus: Battery Life

Wireless devices need batteries, and batteries need to recharge…

How long the gizmo lasts between charges depends on how hard you make it work. With the Reon Pocket Pro Plus on its second-coldest setting, it should last up to 10 hours before it gives up.

If you only need less aggressive cooling, the lowest setting can see the device last for more than 30 hours or around 18 hours on the mid-way level 3. Recharging can take up to about three hours though an 80 % charge can be done in two hours.

Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus: Pricing And Availability

The Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus costs $259.99 direct from electronics.sony.com. It’s only just arrived in the States but it’s already out of stock. However, other stores, like wafuu.com and eBay.com have it, though prices vary.

Sony Reon Pocket Pro Plus: Works In The Winter, Too

If you’re thinking $259.99 is pricey, bear in mind that it also works as a warming as well as a cooling device. However hard it is to imagine when you’re in the grip of a heat dome, it will get colder again one day. And you can still use it then to warm you up.

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