If you’ve been waiting for a cheap ebook reader, Newegg.com has 3 different models on sale for $99 each, the Cybook Opus, Astak Mentor, and Foxit eSlick.

The best of the bunch is the Cybook Opus. It has a 5-inch display and recently got a new firmware update. It comes with 1GB of internal memory and has a microSD card slot. Check our Cybook Opus review for more information about it.

If you’d prefer a larger 6-inch screen, the Astak Mentor is the better choice. Both it and the eSlick share the same hardware design, based on the Netronix EB600. The eSlick was just recently discontinued so don’t expect much from it. Both are outdated models. Newegg is probably trying to clear stock.

For most, spending an extra $40 more for a Kindle WiFi or $50 more for a Nook WiFi would be a much better deal in the long run, given the advanced features and better hardware, but it’s good to see ereaders breaking the $100 barrier nonetheless.

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It comes as no surprise that Foxit, known for their PDF software, has decided to discontinue the Foxit eSlick ebook reader.

Like the Kobo eReader, Astak Mentor, and PocketBook 301, the Foxit eSlick is a rebranded Netronix EB-600.

The eSlick was Foxit’s only ereader and it has been on the market since 2009. It originally sold for $299, but Foxit dropped the price to $199 back in mid-June of this year.

But with all the competition coming out with new devices with lower prices, the eSlick didn’t stand much of a chance.

Since Foxit’s main focus is on PDFs, it’s a bit surprising that they never attempted to release a larger ereader designed for PDFs. 6-inch screens just aren’t very good for large PDFs no matter what software is installed on the device.

Here’s what the VP of Foxit’s sales department had to say on the matter:

“We have been licensing our PDF and ePub technology to a number of eBook vendors. Our decision to discontinue eSlick is to eliminate the possibility of competing with our partners,” said Erik Bryant, Assistant Vice President Sales, Foxit Corporation. “We’re looking forward to making the most impact possible on the growing eBook market by providing our proven, top-of-the-line PDF software technology as an industry standard to the principal providers of electronic reading devices.”

Via: Engadget

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Foxit, known for their PDF software, issued a press release yesterday proclaiming a price drop for the Foxit eSlick ereader to $199. The device comes with a synthetic leather cover, 2GB SD card, 20 classic ebooks, free Foxit PDF Reader Pro Pack, and Foxit PDF Creator.

Foxit PDF Creator is in essence a virtual printer that can create PDF files from any type of printable Microsoft Windows document like DOC, XLS, and PPT. PDF Creator can also convert TXT and HTML files, along with emails, into professional quality PDFs.

The Reader Pro Pack includes some advanced editing tools, a spellchecker, form filler, and text converter for the free Foxit Reader program for Windows.

The Foxit eSlick is a rebranded Netronix EB-600 and shares similar hardware with devices like the Kobo eReader, Astak Mentor, and PocketBook 301. The main drawback with the eSlick, however, is that it doesn’t support Adobe DRM for ebooks sold from most websites.

The eSlick supports the following formats: PDF, EPUB, PDB, TXT, Any printable document (after file is converted to PDF using included software), GIF, BMP, JPEG, PNG, and MP3.

It seems that Newegg and Amazon, about the only major websites that sell the Foxit eSlick, have yet to receive the memo, as they are still selling it for $239 and up.

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