Splitting the difference. Satisfying the niche. Exploiting an opportunity. All of those phrases could be used to accurately describe what HP has done here with the new EliteBook 8440w. It's one of the smaller options in the expanding EliteBook family, yet also one of the most powerful. That's not a combination you hear of very often. In most circumstances, you'll need a larger machine in order to accommodate more powerful components within, mostly because the more powerful components emit more heat than the lower-end components. Hewlett-Packard, however, has managed to get a Core i7 Mobile processor within the frame of a 14" notebook and still keep the heat under control. What we're left with is an extremely unique machine that has fewer competitive alternatives...