The appeal of the Tablet PC format is likely to be strengthened with the launch of a new NEC design early next year.

Devices that offer handwriting recognition based on a superset version of Windows XP have appeared from several vendors, but the Japanese giant's product is an impressive breakthrough in terms of thinness, weight and connectivity.

At its iExpo in Tokyo last week, NEC showed off a prototype that is just 15mm thick and weighs less than 1kg, despite having a full feature set. Rival products from Compaq, Toshiba and others look heavyweight by comparison.

The NEC device also features an LCD screen and supports both the 802.11b and the faster 54Mbit/s 802.11a wireless local area network specifications.

The product is expected to be available in February or March. Prices have not yet been announced.

It is one element of NEC's plan to become a more plausible rival to IBM and Hewlett Packard in business IT.

The company recently set a new benchmark speed for a supercomputer and is re-engineering its hardware lines and sales channels. NEC is also working on fault-tolerant servers, blade servers and a Voice over IP appliance.

Some IT buyers believe that an alternative supplier to the all-rounder IT giants would be welcome.

"Hopefully it will have a more personal touch," said Richard Adams, general manager of IT services provider Sumlock Electronics.