Lenovo is introducing its long rumored ThinkPad X41 Tablet, claimed to be almost 20 percent lighter than its closest rival (3.5 pounds), with longer battery life than any other 12-inch-screened convertible.

This is the first product of Lenovo since acquiring IBM's PC division.

Tablet PCs, including models sold with or without keyboards, allow users to use computers with a pen instead of a keyboard and a mouse.

Equipped with the same full-size keyboard and optional integrated fingerprint-reader security as the X41 notebook, the X41 Tablet promises up to 6.3 hours of battery life with its optional 8-cell battery, or 8.5 hours with that pack plus the separate Extended Life Battery. Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu and other top PC makers already offer Tablet PCs.

Based on Intel's low- or ultra-low-voltage Pentium M processors and 915GM chipset with up to 1.5GB of DDR-2 memory, the portable includes data-protecting ThinkVantage Technologies such as a fall- or drop-sensing hard disk parker and one-button Rescue and Recovery tools available even if Windows won't boot.

The ThinkPad X41 Tablet will begin shipping in mid-June starting at $1,899. A $49 Tablet Sleeve provides an 0.4mm-thick see- and write-through plastic cover, while a $219 ThinkPad X4 Dock offers an UltraBay Slim device bay, three USB 2.0, and legacy ports in a desktop equivalent to the snap-on X4 Ultrabase Dock.