Release was originally slate for January, but preorders are just finding their way to customers now. Furthermore, anyone who orders a reader now will probably have to wait a few more weeks to get their hands on one of these $260 no-frills units.

As for features, the device is simple but practical: SD card support guarantees easy storage of eBooks and music (it's an MP3 players too), and Foxit, a company most famous for its lightweight PDF software, guarantees the device will read PDFs very well—a factor that help mitigate the reader's lack of a Whispernet-type service. [GearDiary via Engadget]

The eSlick, manufactured by the same company that builds the Kindle for Amazon and sold by a company more famous for their free alternative PDF reader than anything else, looks like a capable device, with a respectable 600x800 reflective screen, 128MB of RAM and a claimed 8000 page battery life. It'll ship with 2GB of additional storage and room for expansion via SD cards or USB sticks. Where the eSlick falters, however, is in the areas of Wi-Fi and cellular connections—for the time being, it has none.

Foxit says a later version of the device may ship with Wi-Fi, but don't indicate whether or not that'll affect the price. As it stands, your options for loading and viewing content of the eSlick look to be fairly limited: files, mostly PDFs, are loaded through the USB port. MP3 support could also make the eSlick an attractive podcast player, assuming the media player app is serviceable.

The lack of connectivity won't be a problem for many, as the artificially limited data capabilities of the competing Kindle won't leave feeling like you're missing too much. More importantly, the price—$229 in January and $259 afterwards—and sleek design have offerings from Sony and Amazon squarely beat. [PCWorld]