BIOS: Technology Means Business

The latest addition to Rock’s popular Pegasus range, the svelte Pegasus 335 (from £722 ex. VAT) features Intel Centrino technology with a Core 2 Duo processor that offers a great level of performance for a thin and light laptop. Weighing just over 2kg and only 34mm high, the system manages to pack in an excellent 13.3-inch WXGA display (most ultra-portables have a 12.1-inch screen) with X-Glass technology (blacks are truly black and colours are amazingly rich) and a digital TV tuner as standard (doesn’t support MCE, Windows XP Home pre-installed), Rock’s Pegasus 335 is a neat portable entertainment centre.

The Pegasus 335 is no multimedia wannabe. The entry-level model includes an Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 (1.83GHz, 2MB cache) processor, 512MB of 533MHz DDR2 memory, 80GB (5400rpm) SATA hard disk drive, 8x dual-layer DVD burner and external USB DVB-T TV tuner (remote and aerial included). For an extra £200 you can increase the processing power to an Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 (2.16GHz, 4MB Cache), double the memory, and increase storage to 120GB. Unfortunately there’s no option to upgrade Intel’s Graphics Media Accelerator, so gamers are out of luck.

Connectivity ports are limited compared to a full-size laptop, but most of the essentials are catered for. For instance, there are three USB 2.0 ports (two on left and one on right), 4-pin FireWire, front-mounted headphone and microphone jacks, dedicated Wi-Fi switch at the front of the laptop, S-Video out, analogue video-out (15-pin D-Sub), Gigabit LAN (10/100/1000Mbit/s), 56Kbit/s modem (cable provided), PCMCIA, and 4-in-1 memory card reader (MMC, SD, MS, MS Pro). Unfortunately there is no built-in Bluetooth for creating a PAN (personal area network) and no dedicated media buttons, the latter of which would have been very handy when playing music or watching a video without booting Windows.

One of the highlights of the system is the inclusion of InterVideo’s InstantON, which turns laptop into a remotely controllable multimedia device. With a user interface resembling typical consumer electronics products, the Linux-based software boots in a matter of seconds and the new multi-boot feature enables installations simultaneously with other operating systems. InterVideo InstantON is a modular solution, delivering TV, radio, music, videos and burning to DVD with the fast, CE-like access and the remote control most consumers expect. With InstantON, the Pegasus 335 spring to life with a push of a dedicated button, allowing you to watch DVDs and home VCDs, browse photo albums, and listen to surround sound music or watch TV.

With the relatively advanced PVR capabilities, InstantON can also be used for time-shifting TV programs so you can pause and replay live TV as well as record shows for later viewing. The software is enhanced with basic editing and DVD burning tools that you to cut, merge and split recorded TV programs and videos. Edited videos can be quickly burned directly to a DVD disc for viewing in their living room, on your laptop or shared with family and friends. The speakers aren’t great for listening to music, but there is a stereo jack for audio output, so you can plug it in to a set of external support.

In addition to the ‘Instant On’ button, the Pegasus 335 has a ‘Silent mode’ button which ensures that the system is almost completely noiseless, even when running several applications at once. The downside, of course, is that you’re going to get a performance hit for the pleasure. A respectable battery life of over 3.5 hours in real world use makes the Pegasus 335 a good business buddy too.

The Pegasus 335 is a solid all-rounder and packs a lot of features into its compact size. It’s not the smallest laptop on the market, nor is it specifically built for frequent business travellers, but its practical range of features make it a good multimedia companion. The only real disappointments are the lack of built-in Bluetooth and Web camera, as well as any system management features or security applications.

And unlike Lenovo’s laptop range (including ThinkPads), there’s no Wi-Fi management tools (think Access Connections). You can’t even backup your hard drive or restore it to factory defaults if you become a victim of spyware, but at least there’s a copy of BullGuard Antivirus for protection from spyware, viruses and hackers. There is no fingerprint reader, a feature increasing specified by corporates, but the Pegasus 335 does include an impressive 3-year Collect & Return Warranty on parts and labour.

[7.5]

[Best Laptop Pricing UK]
[Best Laptop Pricing US]