Using the Reon Pocket 4 outside Japan
Introduction to the Reon Pocket
The Sony Reon Pocket is a unique and innovative wearable device that was introduced by Sony in 2019. It’s a small, lightweight device that sits under your shirt collar, and uses thermoelectric technology to cool or warm the wearer’s body, depending on the weather conditions.
The Reon Pocket is controlled by a mobile app, which allows users to adjust the temperature to their comfort level. It’s designed to be discreet and easy to use, making it a great option for people who want to stay comfortable in hot or cold weather without having to carry bulky or heavy clothing.
Excitement
I recently purchased the device and upon receiving I was excited to try out this innovative wearable device. However, I quickly discovered that the controlling app for the Reon Pocket was region locked. You can’t download it outside Japan and Hong Kong, the only two places the device is sold. And you can’t do much with the button on the device. Press it once and it turns the device on or off, and holding it reset the device, but that’s it.
Disappointment
Because Android allow side loading, I downloaded the latest xapk and tried installing it with an APK utility available on the Play store, but the app crash repeatedly.
I tried to download an older version in apk format, and this time it worked but couldn’t connect to the newer version of the Reon Pocket.
Resolution
Finally I tried the old trusty adb (via this answer on the Android stack exchange) and wasn’t disappointed. Basically the steps are:
- Rename the .xapk to .zip
- Extract the files
- Connect your phone to your pc
- Check that adb can communicate with your phone with
adb devices - Finally,
adb install-multiple jp.co.sony.reonpocket.apk config.xxxhdpi.apk config.en.apk config.ar.apk config.de.apk config.es.apk config.fr.apk config.hi.apk config.in.apk config.it.apk conig.ja.apk config.ko.apk config.my.apk conig.pt.apk config.ru.apk config.th.apk config.tr.apk config.vi.apk config.zh.apk
(Weird that Sony supported so many languages but won’t sell it outside Japan and Hong Kong)