Slacker starts rolling out players to consumers

Slacker, a Web-based radio service, said on Friday it has started to take orders for its portable player which features free music channels personalized to the user's tastes.

The San Diego-based start-up is going up against well-established companies including Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp, XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio when the Slacker Portable Player debuts in stores in early 2008.

Although Slacker players will be able to play back music downloads like other devices, the emphasis will be on its radio-style service. Depending on the model, each player will have the capacity for 15, 25, or 40 channels of music that can be personalized online by the user.