Sony's New Company Will Sell a Wearable That Cools (or Heats) Your Body in 22 Countries

Sony has created a separate company called Sony Startup Technology Inc. (SSTI) to focus on selling a wearable device called the REON POCKET. The device cools or heats your body by sitting against your skin, kind of like a personal air conditioner for one part of your body instead of a whole room. Sony's plan is to sell it across 22 countries and regions starting in 2025. The device has sold out every year since it launched, which tells you there are people who want this product.

What's New in the Latest Version

The newest model, called the REON POCKET PRO, has two cooling units instead of one. This means it can cool about twice as much of your body compared to older versions. It also has a better fan that moves air roughly twice as fast, which helps it work about twice as well overall. The battery also lasts longer, so you can use it for more of the day.

These improvements solve real problems with earlier versions. When you're trying to cool or heat just one small area on your body using battery power, managing the heat and power becomes tricky. Two units spread the workload, and a stronger fan gets rid of heat more efficiently. The PRO model costs £199 in the UK right now. It's not available in the US yet, which is one reason Sony created a separate company to expand.

Why People Want This

The product keeps selling out, which means more people want it than Sony can make. The REON POCKET is different from other wearables because it doesn't track your steps or give you notifications. Instead, it does something your body actually feels: it makes you more comfortable when it's too hot or too cold.

Think of it like this: a regular air conditioner cools an entire room, but the REON POCKET just cools the spot where it touches your skin. That's more efficient. Someone working outside in extreme heat, or someone who gets cold easily during their commute, might find it useful.

Sony decided to make a separate company because a device like this needs special knowledge. You need to understand how to make tiny cooling systems, what materials work best, and how to squeeze enough battery power into something wearable. Within Sony's bigger organization, that kind of focused expertise might get lost or slow down.

Getting It Ready for the World Market

The new company plans to sell this device in 22 different countries. But doing that isn't simple. Different countries have different rules about what can touch your skin safely, and how electronic devices should handle radio signals. A separate company can move faster through those rules than a huge corporation.

The timing also matters. More people are paying attention to how much energy they use at home. A device that lets you stay comfortable without cooling or heating your whole house could save money and energy. That appeals to people who care about costs and also to people who care about the environment.

Making enough of these devices to ship around the world will be a challenge. Right now, they sell out every year. The company will need to figure out how to make more while keeping the quality high enough that customers stay happy.

Why This Matters

Sony's choice to create a separate company around this product sends a signal: wearables don't have to be about tracking data or giving you information. They can do something practical that improves your daily comfort. While most wearables focus on fitness or messages, Sony is betting that helping you stay at the right temperature is just as valuable.

If this company succeeds globally, other tech companies might try the same approach with products that don't fit neatly into their existing business. That could mean more interesting, practical wearables in the future. For now, the real test is whether Sony can make enough REON POCKETs to meet demand and keep customers satisfied in 22 markets at once.