NEW YORK (Bloomberg) — Dell, the second-largest personal-computer maker, plans to sell its first pen- and finger-controlled machine this month to attract more mobile users.

The Latitude XT tablet has a 12.1-inch (31-centimeter) screen and costs $2,499, Glenn Keels, Dell's director of commercial product marketing, said in an interview. The machine weighs 3.57 pounds (1.6 kilograms) and has a battery life of almost 5 hours.

The slate-shaped machine operates by finger touch, using the body's electrical impulses rather than pressure to activate the screen. The product is targeted at health-care and government workers, as well as educators and insurance adjustors.

Chief executive officer Michael Dell, who demonstrated the PC at a technology conference in San Francisco last month, is trying to bolster the company's sales to businesses, which account for 85 percent of revenue. He's also targeting consumers through retail outlets after Round Rock, Texas-based Dell lost the lead in the PC market to Hewlett-Packard last year.

Dell already sells tablet PCs made by companies such as Samsung Electronics, Fujitsu and Motion Computing, according to its Web site.

The Latitude XT will be sold on Dell's Web site, and later through some retailers, Keels said. Accessories include a daylight viewing screen and a snap-on battery that allows the machine to run for 9.5 hours without recharging.