Google’s CR-48 Chrome Laptop is a MacBook lookalike

Apple and Google have a rather interesting competitive relationship as they battle it out in the mobile front with iOS and Android. When one comes up with a good idea, the other seems to quickly adopt it as well, although this flow of ideas seems to trickle from Apple to Google more often than the reverse; touchscreens, app stores, instant search, tablets, etc.

With this in mind, check out the pictures of the new Google CR-48 Chrome Notebook, it’s a dead-ringer for the older black MacBook. From the chiclet style keyboard, to the matte black finish, to the overall shape, the resemblance between the two is striking. Here they are side by side:

Check out the keyboards too, the MacBook is on the left and the Chrome CR-48 is on the right:

The black MacBook was a pretty good looking machine so I can’t really blame Google for taking some design cues here, and isn’t imitation the highest form of flattery?

While the hardwares appearance is very similar, the OS’s couldn’t be more different. I haven’t used one of these Google Chrome laptops yet, but Chrome OS looks intriguing in a minimalist sense. It’s basically the web, and that’s it. If you want to try out Google’s new OS, you can run Chrome OS on top of Mac OS X in a virtual machine, but it’s essentially like running the Chrome browser in a VM.

You can see more pictures of Google’s Chrome OS notebook at BGR.com and Engadget.

Oh, and if you want to test drive a Chrome notebook, you can apply to use one in Google’s pilot program. Why not try to get your hands on one?

http://osxdaily.com/2010/12/11/googles-cr-48-chrome-laptop-is-a-macbook-lookalike/

Samsung's New Laptop Looks Like A MacBook Wannabe (But It's Still Awesome)

We tested Samsung's new QX410 laptop that was just released this Fall and we're very impressed.

Despite the fact that it borrows heavily from Apple's MacBook design (even down to the clean white box it comes in), the QX410 packs the power of a high-end laptop into an incredibly affordable package.

Here's what we thought:

• The 14" LED display is awesome. Streaming video and DVDs looked gorgeous and were incredibly bright.

• It's speedy. Boot up and shut down were fast. Applications loaded quickly.

• It has WiMAX built in so you can access Clear's 4G network. (You'll need an extra service plan from Clear).

• It's light (only 5 pounds) and just over an inch thick, making it very portable and easy to use on your lap.

• You can't beat what you get for the price ($799.99): Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB RAM, a 640 GB hard drive, and 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 310M graphics card.

• The track pad was a pain to use. It's multi-touch and there are no mouse buttons (just like the MacBook), but it's too sensitive. There's definitely a learning curve: At first we kept accidentally clicking links and opening applications, but eventually got the hang of it.

• The sound quality was above average for a laptop, but if you plan on watching a lot of movies, you should invest in a nice pair of headphones.

Overall, the QX410 is a great machine. And it's versatile. There's plenty of power under the hood for business users and it's light and perfectly priced for casual computing. If you're looking for one of the best PC laptop values available this holiday, this is the one to buy. You can order now from Best Buy.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/samsungs-new-laptop-is-a-macbook-wannabe-2010-12#ixzz17b8nAL41