After months of rumors and teasers Dell today officially introduced its first tablet PC, the Latitude XT. This convertible 12.1-inch notebook weighs in less than 4 pounds and will boast either a LED-backlit screen for a thinner and lighter form factor or an outdoor-focused CCFL screen that remains more visible in daylight.

The Latitude XT sports either a 1.06GHz Core 2 Solo ULV processor or a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo ULV processor, a minimum 1GB of memory, ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics, and a solid-state drive option with up to 64GB of capacity. Dell left out an optical drive to keep the device thin, but an optional Media Base is available if you need that though.



In addition, Dell boasts the XT as having “ground breaking” capacitive touch technology, which allows users to interact with the tablet without requiring any pressure from a finger on the screen, only a very light touch. It recognizes both fingers and an included pen for inputting data and is reportedly ready to support iPhone-like multi-touch in the future.

Dell says prices will start at a hefty $2,499. With tablet PCs being a small niche of computing that hasn’t really taken off the ground yet, one has to wonder why the company is introducing the Latitude XT at a price point that is likely to discourage most businesses from adopting the new device.