Foxit’s eSlick Reader to Support eReader Books? [Updated: looks like yes]

Foxit eSlick

Foxit eSlick

Remember when the PDF wizards at Foxit announced their standalone eInk reader called the eSlick? You can pre-order the device now for a non-refundable $50 deposit. The advantage of a pre-order is that you’re locked into the introductory price of $229.99. Foxit figures an MSRP of $259.99 when the expected device ships in March or April, so you’ll have to weigh the potential early savings with a $50 bet. Before you think about that however, you need to consider the content that’s usable on the device.

Obviously, Foxit is sticking with their core competency of PDF support. If you’re not familiar with the company and their area of expertise: They offer various PDF solutions including a free application that I install on all of my Windows devices. It’s called Foxit Reader and is a lightweight application that reads Adobe PDF files using far less computer resources than the native Adobe Reader application.

So Foxit will obviously support PDF files on their eInk device. With their included PDF Creator software, you can easily convert .DOC, .XLS , .PPT, .TXT and HTML files into PDFs that are readable on the eSlick. Where does that leave content with DRM, or Digital Rights Management?

The majority of new and recent commercial titles are protected by DRM. That means you can’t simply by an eBook title and use it on the device of your choice. Amazon’s Kindle mainly supports digital titles from the Amazon Kindle store, for example. Sony’s Reader device works with many of the same titles, but only if you buy them from Sony’s store with Sony’s brand of DRM.

My favorite site for readable digital content is eReader, which is a Fictionwise company, partially because they have software clients for most platforms. I can buy a title from eReader and read it on my iPhone, a Windows Mobile or Symbian S60 handset, a Windows computer or even on my Mac. One title is usable on many platforms. Unfortunately, there are no standalone eBook devices that support eReader. Or is there?

A reader at Teleread apparently caught site of the following news development on the Foxit eSlick site:

“Good news: Foxit is currently working with different content providers for DRM support, including the support for eReader format.”

Looking at the site now doesn’t yield that tidbit of news, but it would be great to hear and would make the eSlick very slick indeed. We’ve got a note in to Steve Pendergrast at Fictionwise to confirm or deny the possibility and will update this post when we hear back. It’s tough to even consider a standalone device if you’ve already poured hundreds of dollars into a particular format.

You could counter that argument with the success of Apple’s iTunes music store, but they’re recently begun the move to DRM-free music that works on most devices in the market. It’s also why I rarely bought music from iTunes; once Amazon’s DRM-free store came about, it became my de-facto music store. While I’d rather not see DRM at all, if I’m going to purchase a standalone eBook device, I’d rather it worked with DRM files that can be used on many different devices. How about you?

Update: Steve Pendergrast from Fictionwise was kind enough to respond to my inquiry. He says he’s unable to comment due to NDAs, which lead me to believe that eReader is support is a very real possibility on the Foxit eSlick. Additionally, I see that Erik from Foxit Software has left a comment indicating eReader support within one to two months. That may mean no eReader content support out of the gate for the eSlick, but not long after product availability. I’m generally a betting man, but for the moment, I’m holding on to my $50 until I see eReader support for sure. I wouldn’t mind a larger, portable display for the few hundred titles I already own.

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