Disclaimer: I guess it’s not a real answer and has way to much outside links, but it just won’t fit into the comment format. So this can be considered to be just for information purposes.
I guess this
uses about what you’ve already tried.
But there are possibilities, so you might just have to read a little bit more
- How to call WP3.5 Media Library manager?
- Using WordPress 3.5 Media Uploader in meta box?
- Using the WordPress 3.5 Media Uploader window as a modal popup
- Handling front-end file uploads, considering safety and ease of use
For additional sources take a look at
- How to use WordPress 3.5 Media Uploader in Theme Options
- Using the WordPress 3.5 Media Uploader within plugins
- Adding an image uploader to the user profile page in WordPress
This might be interesting too