According to HP, the paradox is by popular demand: Design pros asked for a workstation that packed plenty of power when deskbound with a couple of monitors at a docking station, but that could be carried easily enough to show work at a client's site or conference room. And though the EliteBook's screen is small(ish), its resolution is high -- 1,600 by 900 bright, sharp, eye-pleasing pixels, enough to give the 512MB Quadro FX adapter a workout.
The machine's no skinny mini, either. Chunky for a 14-inch notebook, the EliteBook series is HP's business-rugged line, with features ranging from a 3D accelerometer that parks the hard drive in the event of a fall to a spill-resistant keyboard with drain channels, all wrapped up in a magnesium-alloy chassis with a magnesium/aluminum display enclosure that's rated to withstand 300 pounds of pressure without damaging the LCD. We didn't administer any torture tests, but we gave the HP EliteBook 8440w battery a few friendly jolts and accidentally stepped on its closed lid with no ill effects.
Key Specs
Processor: 2.66GHz Intel Core i7-620M
Memory: 4GB RAM
Storage: 320GB hard drive
Optical Drive: DVD±RW
Screen: 14 inches (1,600x900 native resolution)
Graphics: Nvidia Quadro FX 380M (512MB)
Weight: 5.5 pounds
Dimensions (HWD): 1.5x13.2x9.3 inches
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
The EliteBook 8440w includes a full complement of ports, including some that are vanishing from so many other new laptops these days. You get three standard USB ports, plus a fourth that’s a USB/eSATA combo; a FireWire port; DisplayPort and VGA video connectors; and LAN, modem, headphone, and mic jacks. HP has included an ExpressCard/54 slot and an SD/MultiMediaCard flash-memory reader, plus a docking connector. All models also include Bluetooth 2.1 and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, plus a 2-megapixel Webcam.
The $1,649 configuration includes a multi-format DVD burner with LightScribe labeling (a Blu-ray burner is an option), a fingerprint reader, and a 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive. (You can step up to a 500GB drive, or a 160GB or 256GB solid state drive.) Also optional on all models is carrier-agnostic wireless broadband via the Gobi Mobile Broadband 2000 chipset, which includes new GPS support. And HP notes that required antennas are built in to all EliteBook 8440 battery models, so if you order a machine without internal WWAN and decide to add it later, you’ll be set.
The 8440w houses a 14-inch widescreen big enough to make the system your primary PC. It's the same size as the one found on the Lenovo T410, except its 1,600-by-900 resolution is slightly higher. The T410 uses a 1,440 by 900 resolution, which still falls in the WSXGA+ spectrum. Visually, there are very few differences between the two screens.
The user experience is satisfactory. The 8440w has a full size keyboard, but the keys are a bit mushy when pressed. The typing experience is not as responsive as the one on the Lenovo T410, which, in my opinion, has few equals, but PCs like the Dell Latitude E4300 ($2,789 direct, ) come close. The 8440w comes with two pointing devices—a pointing stick and a touchpad—though the pointing stick (eraser mouse) was stiff at times and the touchpad seemed small after using the one on the Lenovo T410. The rubbery mouse buttons are soft and non-resistant.
Certainly, the 8440w's performance in normal usage scenarios left nothing to be desired. We installed Microsoft Office and Firefox 3.6, opening numerous windows and tabs while working on text. The 8440w seemed responsive at all times, except when Firefox exhibited its usual quirk of locking down the system while loading a dozen tabs simultaneously (but that's true with all PCs).
The keyboard on the 8440w is one of the finest examples of a laptop keyboard we've seen. The layout is reasonable for a compact laptop, but the main typing keys are full-size and offer excellent tactile feedback while requiring relatively little pressure. Nice touches abound: The Home and End keys, for instance, are separated by the PgUp and PgDn keys--a good compromise when space constraints force laptop designers to put that group of keys in a vertical row. The cursor keys are half size, but physically separated from the main keyboard, minimizing confusion when you're using those keys to navigate documents.
The 14" machine is equipped with a "gunmetal" finish that's frankly one of the most attractive we've seen, particularly for a business-class notebook. It doesn't attract fingerprints, and it's pure class inside and out. There are also a great deal of ports, and our review unit ships with an extended battery that protrudes from the rear but provides much-needed extra life considering just how much power a Core i7 Mobile and NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M will draw. There's also an option for integrated WWAN (mobile broadband), which is a must for most mobile professionals. Toss in an enclosure built to meet military standards (MIL-STD 810G) and a spill-resistant keyboard with drain vents, and you've got one well-rounded workhorse of a noteobok.
Isn’t this everyone’s concern when a Core i7 Mobile processor is used in a notebook? First off, I was amazed at the battery life of the HP 8440w battery considering its powerful processor. Unplugged and working on documents/surfing the web, I managed to clock in 6 hours of work using the primary battery (6 cell) and another 8 hours with the secondary battery (screen at medium brightness). And using it for CAD work and gaming at maximum brightness slashes those numbers into half.
24 hour battery life: You read that right, but only the Elitebook 8440p models will manage that. The p “professional” variants run on less powerful (hence, less power consuming) processors and have other power saving measures, while the 8440w “workstation” variant here trades some hp laptop battery life for power.
Below the keyboard is the touchpad which has buttons unlike those I’ve seen before, but they work well and they’re easy to use. Off to the right is the biometric fingerprint reader. I found using the touchpad is fine, it might look small, but if you’ve ever used a netbook then you’ll be more than accustomed to the small size, and for me I had no issues.
The EliteBook is running Windows 7 Professional 64bit and powering it on took about 45 seconds from the time you touch the button until you get a usable desktop. There’s not much at all on the desktop of the unit I received for review, just the recycle bin.
The EliteBook 8440w’s keyboard is solid, with good key response and minimal flex. There is nothing funky about the layout, so you’ll be able to type with a high degree of accuracy instantly.
I can’t heap the same praise on the trackpad. Don’t get me wrong – it works fine, but it is one of the smaller trackpads I’ve used recently. The HP EliteBook 6930p battery makes up for this somewhat by including a trackpointer – a small nub in the middle of the keyboard that can be used for navigation. This also comes up short of perfect, however. The problem, I think, is the texture of the material used on the trackpoint. It is rough and uncomfortable to use for more than an hour or two.
The HP Elite 8440w’s display is a pleasure. Although only 14” in size, it offers a resolution of 1600x900. This means that there is a lot of usable space. The high resolution makes it easy to display two documents at once for direct comparisons. The display is matte, and the backlight is among the brightest I’ve ever encountered – it is so bright that using the 8440w in full direct sunlight is not only possible, but actually comfortable. The display isn’t perfect, however. It is tailored for work, not play. Contrast and black levels are poor, so movies and games don’t look their best.
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