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.