Samsung fakes Galaxy Tab beta user testimony in video?

How far will Apple's tablet competitors go to get a leg up on Cupertino? Maybe a step too far?

Often, when introducing a new product, technology companies produce a video with users of the prerelease product during its beta test phase. However, it appears that Samsung's marketing department may have gotten ahead of the development process and released a video showing fake customers extolling the advantages of the Galaxy.

Harry McCracken at Technologizer says he uncovered the fakes while at the CTIA Wireless press event. First, he found that there were no working versions of the new 10.1-inc Galaxy Tab tablet.

Then he noticed that the featured "Samsung Galaxy Tab Interview Project” was filled with actors playing characters that happen to be target market customers for tablets: a travel writer, film director and CEO.

As I watched the interviews, I noticed that Shefelman spoke and behaved more or less like a normal person, but Hess and Kolinksi came off as performers dressed for their parts and parroting Samsung talking points. I couldn’t tell whether we were supposed to take the clips as a documentary or a mockumentary. So I Googled around and couldn’t find any references to a travel-writing Joan Hess (one with, as she said, a following on Twitter) or a real-estate CEO Joseph Kolinski.

Check out the story. McCracken shows separated-at-birth-style comparisons of the actors and the supposedly real characters. You can watch the video here.

I have seen many of these video promotions. By my reckoning, all of the ones shown at Apple rollouts were on the level. If this Samsung video turns out to be fake, it ain't going to help the Galaxy's cred.