French company Sagem has jumped feet first into the ever expanding ebook reader pool, with the release of the Sagem Binder.

But don't expect to see the Binder actually hitting the shops per se, as the device is a white-labelled product, meaning that brands will be taking the device and slapping their logos all over it and calling it whatever pleases them.

For instance, Pocket-lint will be releasing a version called the PL Paperback Assassin.

We jest, of course, but FNAC, the French retailer has already got on board, re-naming the Binder as the FnacBook.

As with all ebook readers, the first thought is always centred around comparing it to the Kindle. Put simply the Kindle is by-far the market leader, so it makes sense to see how others fare against it.

Looks wise, the Binder is very swanky, and has a nice tab structure down the right-hand side, to make up for a lack of QWERTY keyboard.

Its makers are promoting it as an "ultra-light" ebook reader and, at 240g, it certainly is. This is the same weight as the latest gen Kindle. Size wise, it is around 2mm thicker than the Kindle, but around 40mm shorter, with the same width. Actual measurements are 152 x 123 x10.7mm.

It only has half of the onboard storage of the Kindle, at 2GB, but there is a microSD option should you need to put any more than the 12,000 or so books that it can handle out of the box.

Like the latest Kindle, it has both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity and is compatible with TXT, Epub, PDF, HTML, JPEG, PNG, BMP and MP3 files.

Where it does trump the Kindle is that it has got a 6-inch capacitive touchscreen.

"The eReader market has developed quickly but until now has been plagued by a simple trade-off - do you want a smaller form factor and less features, or a fully connected experience but with a device that is no longer pocket-sized?", said Jérôme Nadel of Sagem Wireless. 

"By focusing on the user experience and using the latest technology, we have developed a device that solves this conundrum".

FNAC are selling the FnacBook for 199 euros, with free 3G from SFR. We'll keep you posted as to any UK-based release.