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Can you spot the Apple laptop?

The designers at Samsung and HP sure love Apple's laptop design philosophy, but the duo may want to take a step back next generation and innovate a little bit. CNET found several new computers from these companies that look just like an Apple MacBook Air. Can you tell which one is the real Apple product in the picture above?

Our more discerning readers might easily spot the differences between each of these devices, but Crave decided to make it a little more challenging by shrinking the pictures down a bit. Readers who participated in our guessing game on Facebook had a pretty easy time spotting the real Apple, but the pictures were also much larger. … Read more

Windows 8 hybrid-tablet mania

Thursday's tech news roundup calls for a deluge of tablet-PC hybrids:

Everyone is talking about tablet hybrids at this year's IFA electronics trade show in Berlin. Every major laptop maker is getting in the game, all because of the October 26 release of Windows 8. Some choose to have the screen swivel or fold to be held like a tablet, such as the Dell XPS Duo 12 and the Asus Taichi. But most hardware makers are also offering tablets with full keyboards that snap on, like HP's Envy x2 tablet and Samsung's Series 5 and 7 Slates (… Read more

Samsung expands U.S. all-in-one lineup for Windows 8

We last saw a new Samsung desktop for sale in the U.S. with last year's Series 7 all-in-one. These new models may not offer the asymmetrical sleekness of the Asia-only Series 9 all-in-one the company teased at this year's CES, but the updated Series 7, and a brand-new Series 5 all-in-one suggest that Samsung sees Windows 8 as an opportunity to expand its American desktop offering.

Where before Samsung had just one all-in-one for American buyers, you can now choose from among three different models. A 27-inch Series 7 for $1,699, a 23-inch Series 7 for $… Read more

Samsung to demo new Windows 8 hybrid tablet at IFA

Samsung will take the wraps off its new Windows 8 hybrid tablet at the IFA 2012 trade show in Berlin.

The company's Facebook page displays a photo of the new tablet with the tagline "Ready to be smart" and the phrase "IFA 2012, Berlin." Samsung is also telling its Facebook followers "Don't worry, it's just around the corner..."

IFA 2012 officially gets off the ground this Friday and runs until September 5. But the press will get a head start with events scheduled this Wednesday and Thursday. Samsung's press event … Read more

Thrillist Media Group raises a whopping $13M

In what started out as a small newsletter to 600 friends has grown into a company worthy of $13 million in Series A funding.

Thrillist Media Group, a man-about-town newsletter and e-commerce company, announced today that it has raised this wad of cash with funding led by Oak Investment Partners that has been joined by Lerer Ventures and Pilot Group. What's more, Fred Harman from Oak will be joining Thrillist's board of directors.

Thrillist was co-founded by Ben Lerer who comes from a family that knows about media. He's the son of Ken Lerer, who co-founded the … Read more

Samsung adds 3D to Series 7 Gamer laptop

Samsung has spruced up its Series 7 gaming laptop for PC gamers who like some 3D action thrown into the mix.

The 17.3-inch machine has been refreshed with a "SuperBright" 1920x1080 3D LED display, according to Samsung. Fans of 3D movies can also take advantage of the new display courtesy of the unit's Blu-ray drive. And along for the ride is an AMD Radeon HD 7870M graphics card that Samsung says is developed for games and taps into DirectX version 11.1.

The Series 7 Gamer has also gotten a paint job, splashed with a sunny … Read more

The past week's unbeatable tech reviewed

Two little birds, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. One's name is Wayne Cunningham, the others is 2013 BMW 640i Gran Coupe. You can read all about their 4.5-star love affair, which resulted in the highest rating we've given to anything this week. But please know that unless you're rolling in cash, this is a recreational read only. This tech-friendly beauty (with built-in chair massage) costs $76,000.

For real, live, normal people, we've reviewed plenty more exciting and affordable tech, including Apple's latest OS X release, Mountain Lion. Jason Parker took a deep dive … Read more

Fifteen hot reviews for summer's hottest days

If you're still enjoying the dog days of summer, sitting by the pool drinking lemonade (hard or otherwise), good for you. But here in CNET-land, we're already gearing up for the fall rush. This week, we've had our noses to the grindstone reviewing Samsung's most lovely laptop, as well as do-it-all NAS drives, among other tech products. We had a little fun too, though, with an iPhone case you can use in that pool should you decide you absolutely have to surf the Web while you surf the waves. (You don't by the way, but … Read more

IMDb on the go

More than just a tool for reading up on celebs and movies, the IMDb mobile app lets you access an enormous entertainment database, view movie trailers, read reviews, track shows, and even get notifications for updates on your favorite celebs. What's more, the Android tablet version is optimized for the larger screen, as it breaks up IMDb's sections into two functional panels.

IMDb opens up directly to a Home screen displaying new trailers, popular movies and shows, upcoming titles, and top news. If you log into your IMDb account, it also shows you recommendations for shows and movies, … Read more

Ego's flashy iPhone case has a built-in thumbdrive

I'm actually kind of surprised we haven't seen an iPhone case like this already, but Ego is calling its Hybrid Series USB Case for the iPhone 4/4S a "world's first."

Yes, this one features a slide-in USB drive that's available in six color options and 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB storage capacities. The case itself also comes in different colors, and Ego says that when you add up all the possible color combination, the total comes out to 42. However, your color options for the USB stick vary by capacity.

The 4GB stick comes … Read more