I recently interviewed Foxit CEO Eugene Y. Xiong about the upcoming release of Foxit’s eSlick Reader — which we first covered back in December, 2008.

A quick recap: the eSlick Reader is an e-reading device and competitor to Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader, amongst others. Its focus is on providing support for ebooks that use PDF as the file format of choice and includes reflow technology which ensures that the content you’re reading fits the screen in the best way possible. Like the Kindle and Sony Reader, it uses E-Ink technology for the display and has a 600 x 800 pixel screen.

Enjoy the interview and please add a comment if you would like us to ask a follow-up question.

What was the motivation behind creating the eSlick Reader?

Whilst there are other ebook reader devices that support PDF, we believe that they fall well short in the area of usability, features such as reflow, document creation and editing. We wanted to bring an ebook reader to the marketplace that was built primarily around PDF.  You may not be aware, we have been developing software for ebook reader devices for more than 2 years as “Foxit Powered”, it was quite a natural transition to move to “Foxit” branded.

What’s the aim with the eSlick?

We are trying to simplify the reading experience, especially when it comes to PDF documents.  We focused on this rather than on “fancy features” like wireless network connectivity. 

What’s the reception been like to the announcement of the eSlick amongst your Foxit Reader use-base?

Excellent.  A lot of our desktop users believe that we will bring the best PDF reading experience, something current ebook devices lack.

You’ve gone from a software only company to a software/hardware company, was this a difficult transition to make?

Sure, we had to deal with things like stocking, RMA, shipping, and so on, it’s a new experience for us. But we have been working closely with our partners, they have provided a lot of support for our transition.

Do you have any plans for other electronic devices in the future?

Not at this stage.

What types of formats can you read with the eSlick?

Right now we support text and PDF. We’re working with other vendors to support more formats, including those with DRM.

How long is the battery life for the eSlick?

8000 page turns.

What is YOUR favourite feature in the eSlick?

Reflow of PDF pages.

What challenges do you foresee competing with the likes of Amazon and Sony in the e-reader space?

I don’t see ourselves as competing head-to-head. We are positioning ourselves differently, we focus on the reading experience itself.

Have you planned to team up with any eBook-retailers?

Yes, most certainly.

Finally, what countries do you plan to sell in first and where can I purchase an eSlick Reader from?

We will start from US and Canada, we are talking with distributors all over the world in order to distribute eSlick to other countries.

The eSlick Reader can be pre-ordered now for US$229.99 from here.

Related Posts:
• Foxit Unleashes new Firmware for eSlick
• Foxit Software Launches Adobe Acrobat Competitor: Foxit Phantom

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