Nothing official from Plextor yet but its parent company, Shinano Kenshi, says that the PX-820A and PX-820SA will be available in Japan by the end of the month. According to AV watch, the two drives are capable of 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD-R DL, 8x DVD+R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x.
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2008 ... lextor.htm
I'm fairly certain that these aren't original designs. Any guess to the actual manufacturer? Judging by the logos on the bezel, its a Sony NEC Optiarc design.