Just in time for summer - Sony's portable air conditioner is now up for purchase

[williamcll]

The Reon pocket was announced for crowdfunding in July last year. Sony claims that at an ambient temperature the device can cool the shirt it's attached to down to 23 Celsius.

You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B089GRKF3R

Quote

Sony began sales Wednesday of a device that tucks under the shirt. The Reon Pocket is worn in a slot at the back of the neck of a customized undershirt. The wearer uses a smartphone app to turn the temperature down, or up, as the device can absorb or generate heat. The Reon Pocket was developed last year after Sony secured 66 million yen ($612,000) during a one-week crowdfunding campaign that summer. Judging that there was demand for the product, Sony went ahead and officially made it a business.

Sony set the suggested retail price at 13,000 yen for the device and 1,800 yen for the shirt. The Reon Pocket is available online and in domestic electronics stores. The product is expected to see great interest from corporate employees who are often out of the office. 

Source: https://first-flight.sony.com/pj/reonpocket
Thoughts: Considering I live in Hong Kong where the temperature could hit 35C, I could really use one of these. The price however isn't exactly welcoming for such a device. Hope Linus do a review on this.

[Statik]

If we're being honest, I'm truly surprised the shirt isn't a stupid amount of money.

[The King of the Undead]

I feel like the main use case for this is people that work outside. Little different then sony's normal.

[Vanderburg]

I don't understand the infrared picture. In order to make something cold, it has to remove heat. If from the back, we see the cold side, then is the hot side against the user? Shouldn't we be seeing all the heat it's exhausting instead?

[givingtnt]

~350$ cad, for something that's honestly "cool" but kinda stupid lol

[givingtnt]

1 minute ago, Vanderburg said:

I don't understand the infrared picture. In order to make something cold, it has to remove heat. If from the back, we see the cold side, then is the hot side against the user? Shouldn't we be seeing all the heat it's exhausting instead?

My guess is they cooled it and then removed it for the photo.
Either way it's just a marketing image to show the cooling effect.

[BigDamn]

On behalf of all men, I must ask.. can I put it down my pants? That's where the cold air NEEDS to be

[RageTester]

7 minutes ago, BigDamn said:

On behalf of all men, I must ask.. can I put it down my pants? That's where the cold air NEEDS to be

Wear shorts in the summer mate

[williamcll]

9 minutes ago, RageTester said:

Wear shorts in the summer mate

Just don't wear any at all :^)

[BigDamn]

3 hours ago, RageTester said:

Wear shorts in the summer mate

Don't gotta tell me twice, I even wear shorts in the winter. But where I'm from, some days it's so hot and humid that the lower pudendal area becomes a swampy atmosphere just shy of growing fungus.

 

Not to get off topic or anything.

[Trik'Stari]

4 hours ago, The King of the Undead said:

I feel like the main use case for this is people that work outside. Little different then sony's normal.

I would absolutely buy this.

 

Delivering a hundred or so boxes of laptops in the middle of summer, out of the back of a box truck, is a perfect use case for this.

 

They could also use this for the actors on the upcoming Wheel of Time series (amazing series I just started reading this year. Already on book 10) for the Aes Sedai actors.

[Techstorm970]

"...portable air conditioner..."

"...that you wear..."

[Bombastinator]

Seen this kind of stuff before.  Always Japanese.  The deal is Japanese businesses don’t put climate control in their buildings so people come up with all kinds of silly things to sort of DIYit.  The big thing for a while was fake ties with fans in the knot.

[TetraSky]

Sony be like : Suggested retail price at 13,000 yen !
Amazon be like : Make it double at 23,600 yen instead.

 

According to the price history (Keepa), the initial cost was 14,300 yen for the first 18 hours of the day on July 1st. But then they suddenly decided to price gauge everyone, increasing the price to 38,800 yen at 19h00, until it fell back down to what we currently see.

 

I might be interested in this, if and when it ever comes to Canada.

[Guest]

23 degrees is still boiling wtf 

[Statik]

13 minutes ago, comander said:

It's a 500Yen shirt with some extra sewing for 1800Yen. 

 

It's being targeted at people with enough money for a portable cooling unit who have heat issues. 

If anyone sweats enough, you could go through 5-10 of these shirts a year. It's a built in subscription service. 

 

Yeah but I mean like that's just over $22 for a shirt, which IMO is fairly standard unless you're buying like Costco brand shit. It wouldn't have surprised me if it was like a $50 shirt for some unknown reason. But you do make a fair point, it is perhaps marked up.

[Bombastinator]

Japanese businessmen do heat their buildings. Don’t know how much they heat them though.  Wouldn’t do for pipes to freeze

[TempestCatto]

Ohh. So that's how their cooling the PS5!

[captain_to_fire]

11 hours ago, BigDamn said:

On behalf of all men, I must ask.. can I put it down my pants? That's where the cold air NEEDS to be

No pants are the best pants especially during summer and you’re all alone in your house 

[RejZoR]

11 hours ago, givingtnt said:

~350$ cad, for something that's honestly "cool" but kinda stupid lol

10.000 mAh powerbank ~20€

USB-to-3pin cable ~1€

Generic fan of desired size ~5€

 

You can make your own for 26€ and that thing will run for days on that powerbank. If you want to do it really fancy it might cost like 50€.

[givingtnt]

Just now, RejZoR said:

10.000 mAh powerbank ~20€

USB-to-3pin cable ~1€

Generic fan of desired size ~5€

 

You can make your own for 26€ and that thing will run for days on that powerbank. If you want to do it really fancy it might cost like 50€.

Why do people pretend like they need to point out the obvious ?

[RejZoR]

1 minute ago, givingtnt said:

Why do people pretend like they need to point out the obvious ?

I'm Captain Obvious. And I'm the Captain now.

[SeraphicWings]

I'm almost tempted to buy one until I see the price...

 

[Loote]

Isn't the circle where the device is supposed to measure the temp the only dark blue spot on the second image?  Which means the rest is much hotter(as expected).

I think it's possible to make a portable cooler using TEC, but it'd eat a lot of power, you'd end up with a jacket that has a big radiator and fan attached, a backpack of batteries and cooling tubes inside of that jacket. I'd honestly use such thing, even if I had to plug myself into the wall when I have the opportunity.

 

Someone smarter could make a calculation how much energy would it take to cool a person, both from the heat the body outputs and what the sun gives, based on the insulation efficiency, then we'd know the size of the fan and battery for such monstrosity.

[Doobeedoo]

I need this.