OK it was never exactly top secret but iRiver has now unveiled the X20 Personal Media Player (PMP) and will be released in Japan as early as March. This new device is causing a bit of buzz with it’s microSD compatibility but I have to say with the iRiver X20 only being available in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB their obvious secret plan to grab some iPod nano marketshare may be in jeopardy. Sleek yeah, stylish uh-huh, cool features you bet! But to dethrone the king it takes more than a clone — ala click wheel. So here’s hoping the removable battery with 22 hours of playback — which daddy likes — and not so fingerprint grabbing yet glossy front panel go to help that cause. Not that I’m not an Apple consumer myself I just think any market competition is good for we the consumer.

The X20 also sports a 2.2-inch, 260k color, 320×240 display with a built-in FM radio. It also has a built in microphone for those self important enough tofeel the need to record themselves because sometimes, a piece of paper just isn’t enough. Supported audio formats include MP3, WMA and OGG with video support for MPEG-4 and WMV. Five (5) preset audio equalizer settings (classic, pop, rock, jazz and normal) are a nice side feature as well since nothing can ruin a good listening session easier than fiddling with audio settings to get a device to sound right for different genres or moods. The device uses Windows Media Player and iRiver plus3. But the feature we are most excited about at PocketSynch is the ability to connect directly to the internet –through a USB connection to you PC– and download music.

Engadget reports however, that there may not be any immediate plans to launch in the U.S. which for me is basically taking a smile and turning it upside down. I still plan to get my paws on one for a PocketSynch review so it looks like it’s time to run up some phone charges with my Japanese counterparts.

Pricing breakdown for the different storage sizes looks like this:

2GB ¥18.800 / $157

4GB ¥22,800 / $191

8GB ¥29,800 / $250

What’s that? More eye candy? Why certainly:

Anyone with more pics of the screen in action or even better, video, please let us know.