Kogan Technologies, the Australian manufacturer and e-tailer, releases an open-market eBook Reader for $189.

The Kogan 6 eBook Reader is one centimetre thick and has features such as multiformat support, and photo and music playback.

The company said that the device comes with around 1,500 free pre-loaded books. For managing e-book libraries, the Kogan 6 will sync with Adobe Digital Editions. It also has support for 16 e-book file formats and most online book stores.

"(The Kogan 6 Reader) would bring digital e-book reading to the masses... We're seeing e-book readers dropping in price, but many are still far too expensive for mainstream use. When you have these devices up to and above $500, you're really asking too much of Australian consumers," said Ruslan Kogan, the founder of Kogan Technologies.

The company will sell the Kogan 6 Reader for $189 with free shipping during the presale period. The device comes with a bundled leather case.