More musings
The 330 doesn't use a latch to secure the lid to the chassis; it's simply a matter of grabbing the sides and pulling up. Status-indicating LEDs are to be found on the bottom left-hand corner and a further two keys next to the main power button. Unlike other Rock laptops there's no illuminated ring around the power button. Interestingly, there's a Silent key that reduces clockspeed and voltage for quieter operation. For example, with the laptop plugged into the mains and set to always on, it runs at 1.73GHz with 1.4V under load and 1GHz/1.4V when idling. Pressing the Silent key reduces both load and idle speeds to 1GHz (or, more specifically, a 6x multiplier) with only 1.0V, offering fan-free running under load. The second button acts a shortcut for the chosen media-player.
The trackpad is fine but the surrounding buttons needed more pressure than is usual for laptops. Indeed, comparing the keys to a Dell Inspiron 630m laptop's, we found that double the pressure was required to depress the buttons on the rock Pegasus 330. We reckon that the pressure required will lessen over time, but, if this sample is indicative of all retail models, it's simply too firm.
The keyboard, too, wasn't the best to type on for extended periods. A portion of this review, including this page, was written out on the laptop, and we found the keys to have a touch too much travel. Of course, this is a subjective judgement, but we prefer the softer touch of Dell and Sony keyboards.
The Pegasus 330 packs in a 13.3-inch wide-aspect TFT with a native resolution of 1280x768 pixels (WXGA). It also features the highly reflective X-Glass technology that makes colours richer and text sharper. The cost of this increased image quality is manifested by poor display clarity when a light source is reflected off the screen. Think of natural light streaming through a window, for example. Still, given the better colour representation, we reckon the technology is seen as a positive. For an additional £25, rock offers a 30-day zero dead pixel guarantee.
Flipping it over and removing the aluminium cover, we see that the Yonah T2300 CPU is cooled by the established heatpipe method. Also note just how small the Intel 3945ABG WiFi card is. There was no Bluetooth module installed on the sample model, and, surprisingly, rock doesn't offer it as an optional upgrade, either. A single DIMM slot carries a 256MByte module, with the other harder to access, being located under the keyboard. You need to first remove a screw on the underside and then lift out the 'pad. Everything's crammed in here, just as you would expect from a thin-and-light laptop.
Software
The Pegasus 330 ships with Microsoft Windows Home SP2 and Works 8.0, and rock bundles in a recovery CD. One of the features we like best about rock laptops is the use of small hard-drive partition that contains the necessary files for a seamless backup, accessed during the bootup sequence. It makes reinstallation a cinch.
rock's pushing the multimedia capabilities of the Pegasus 330 by bundling in a USB-powered DVB-T tuner. Unfortunately for this reviewer, Freeview isn't available in the area, making it a redundant feature.
Roxio EasyCD Creator has been rock's burning software of choice for a while. Bullguard AntiVirus and a trial of Microsoft Office are also included. Whilst not installed on the sample laptop, retail models will ship with CyberLink's InstantON feature, whereby you can listen to music, play DVDs and MP3s without having to boot into Windows itself. Additionally, in conjunction with Vodafone, rock bundles in a voucher that entitles you to a free PCMCIA 3G/GPRS Mobile Connect Data Card. It's worth around £150, and is useful for in instances where a traditional WiFi/wired connection isn't available, although it seems to be bundled with every Centrino laptop under the sun. Speaking of WiFi, we'd liked to have seen Intel's PROSet/Wireless v10 software pre-installed, too.
