HP EliteBook 8440w Core i7 Notebook Review
Software and Accessories
As has become the norm, there's not much included in the box here aside from the HP EliteBook 8440w itself. The box is rather compact, and that's primarily because HP included nothing aside from the notebook, an AC power adapter, an AC power cord and a few inserts to keep things from getting too banged up during transit. No cleaning cloth, no sleeve, no case, no extra accessories.
Not that this is unusual, but with a $1700 machine that's designed for the professional, any extras at all would've been much appreciated. At any rate, HP has also done us all a favor by going easy on the bloatware. Again, this is sort of expected given that this machine is designed for use by business-people who generally have a very specific set of applications that they use, but it's still great to not have too many pop-ups and icons in the taskbar upon bootup.
One thing that could grow annoying is HP's own system analysis center, which tends to pop-up and check for updates during inopportune times. It can be disabled, thankfully, as can most any other program that loads up when you start the machine. Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) was included on our test machine, but a whole slew of operating system options are available from HP's website. No Office suite is pre-installed (not even a trial), but here's a look at a few programs that were: Windows DVD Maker, XPS Viewer, and a slew of HP-specific apps. Those include: HP Business Card Reader, HP Power Assistant, HP QuickLook, HP Update, HP Webcam, HP Wireless Assistant and HP Skyroom.
Skyroom in particular is something you don't find loaded onto your average notebook; it's basically a souped-up version of Google Wave, but with webcam and HD video support. This is HP's own integrated solution for video-conferencing; you just load up your profile, enable your webcam and join a meeting. We did some limited testing with it, and it worked well. Of course, we don't have 20 other office mates nearby to really put a strain on it, but it's a nice addition to an otherwise plain software suite, and it's proof that this machine was built for the workplace first and foremost. The ability to easily video conference is nice when collaborating with others that are far away, but this is nothing that couldn't already be accomplished via Skype, Google Wave and/or an array of other widely used apps. Integration is great, though, don't get us wrong.
;)
Not that this is unusual, but with a $1700 machine that's designed for the professional, any extras at all would've been much appreciated. At any rate, HP has also done us all a favor by going easy on the bloatware. Again, this is sort of expected given that this machine is designed for use by business-people who generally have a very specific set of applications that they use, but it's still great to not have too many pop-ups and icons in the taskbar upon bootup.
;)
One thing that could grow annoying is HP's own system analysis center, which tends to pop-up and check for updates during inopportune times. It can be disabled, thankfully, as can most any other program that loads up when you start the machine. Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) was included on our test machine, but a whole slew of operating system options are available from HP's website. No Office suite is pre-installed (not even a trial), but here's a look at a few programs that were: Windows DVD Maker, XPS Viewer, and a slew of HP-specific apps. Those include: HP Business Card Reader, HP Power Assistant, HP QuickLook, HP Update, HP Webcam, HP Wireless Assistant and HP Skyroom.
Skyroom in particular is something you don't find loaded onto your average notebook; it's basically a souped-up version of Google Wave, but with webcam and HD video support. This is HP's own integrated solution for video-conferencing; you just load up your profile, enable your webcam and join a meeting. We did some limited testing with it, and it worked well. Of course, we don't have 20 other office mates nearby to really put a strain on it, but it's a nice addition to an otherwise plain software suite, and it's proof that this machine was built for the workplace first and foremost. The ability to easily video conference is nice when collaborating with others that are far away, but this is nothing that couldn't already be accomplished via Skype, Google Wave and/or an array of other widely used apps. Integration is great, though, don't get us wrong.
