Sony Ericsson’s soon to be released Aino is an impressive looking cellphone with a 3" capacitive touch-screen, an 8.1 megapixel camera and HSDPA connectivity.

With its full house of specs, the Aino is set to become SE’s multimedia flagship device with a clear focus on allowing users to more easily control their music, photos and videos. While it sports features common to the high-end multimedia handsets of many of its competitors it has a rather novel feature.

Users of the Aino can remotely access and control the media content on their PlayStation 3 console. With the device’s Remote Play and Media Home applications users can turn their PS3 on and off, browse and control the XMB user interface, access the Internet and any DRM free media content saved on the hard drive, sign in to the PS3 network and message friends, shop for items in the PS3 store and even watch and record live television using PlayTV remotely.

The Aino is consequently the ideal device for PlayStation 3 console owners, adding greatly to the console’s already considerable appeal as a media player/ home entertainment device. “Media Home and Remote Play with PLAYSTATION 3, are key steps in broadening the entertainment experiences users can enjoy on their Sony Ericsson phone and gives a taste of our vision of the future,” says Sonja Shear, Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson South Africa.

The Aino will be available in South Africa from November 2009 and will retail at a recommended R6999.