May 25, 2007 1:08 PM PDT

iRiver X20: Available here, you say?

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A shout out to you lovely readers: You are really quite useful, you know that? As much as I'd like to take all the credit for finding the iRiver X20 on sale in the States, the props belong to a vigilant reader who astutely pointed out that the player is available here and inquired whether we had plans to review it. My reply: I hope so.

The X20 looks freakin' sweet (and I bet it has the sound quality to match). Generally, I don't review products that aren't "officially available" in the U.S.--namely because the companies don't really have good reason to make review units available if the product isn't on sale here. But you can bet I'm trying my darndest to get my hands on an X20. As far as I'm concerned, if you can buy it here, it's review-worthy. But enough about that; how about some player details?

The iRiver X20 is a flash player, available with up to 8GB, that includes a microSD card slot for memory expansion. The front of the device features a 260,000 color LCD, which will come in handy for viewing photos (JPEG) and watching video (MPEG-4, AVI and WMV). To the right of the 2.2-inch screen is a five-way tactile control pad, which also comprises a mechnical scroll ring to assist with speedy navigation. Like all iRiver players, the X20 is packed with features such as an FM tuner and a built-in mic for voice recording. It also supports a nice array of audio formats including MP3, WMA, and OGG. No word on DRM support, though I'm guessing there is none at this point as that's not really a sought-after feature in Asia.

As for usability, our colleagues at CNET Asia assert that the "learning curve for the X20 is gentle, and it is certainly on par with the iRiver D-Click's ease of use." This player is slightly larger than the second-gen Clix at 3.9x1.9x0.6-inches.

For more than five years, Jasmine France has covered a variety of tech products for CNET--from scanners to keyboards to GPS devices--but she's happiest where she is now: sitting atop a pile of MP3 players, "testing" every music service known to man, and jamming a variety of earbuds in every shape and color into her absurdly small ears. E-mail Jasmine.