Author Archive: Gareth

Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.

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By August 13, 2015 Read More →

HTC realigns to tighten up

HTC-logo-219x286HTC Corporation today announced a program of business realignment that positions the Company for significant profitable growth with a leaner and more agile operating model. The program includes the establishment of new business units, to create greater focus and profitable growth in our key areas of premium smartphones, virtual reality, and connected lifestyle products.

This realignment will also involve a streamlining of operations to result in an expected reduction in operating expenditure of 35%; this includes an expected 15% in headcount.

“HTC is an inspirational company driven by innovative people, with a unique blend of expertise in hardware and software integration, advanced technology and world-class design. Now, as we diversify beyond smartphones, we need a flexible and dynamic organization to ensure we can take advantage of all of the exciting opportunities in the connected lifestyle space,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO of HTC. “This strategic realignment of our business will ensure that each product group has the right focus, the right resources and the right expertise to win new markets.”

Posted in: News
By August 11, 2015 Read More →

Lenovo’s new line pack 4K and Xeon processors

lenovo-thinkpad-p70Lenovo today unveiled the beginning of a new family of mobile workstation innovations, the ThinkPad P50 and P70, at the SIGGRAPH 2015 Conference and Exhibition. These new ThinkPad P Series systems are the best-performing and most reliable mobile workstations available and are designed to run the most demanding Independent Software Vendor (ISV) applications.
                                                                                                                     
“We’ve built features into these machines that were previously unachievable in a notebook, making them the most versatile and highest-performing mobile workstations ever,” said Victor Rios, vice president and general manager, Workstations, Lenovo. “We’re focused on making sure users have the tools necessary to drive innovation. That is why we are expanding our portfolio and raising the standard of mobile workstation performance.  Introducing the ThinkPad P Series unites our mobile portfolio with our existing award-winning line of tower workstations, the ThinkStation P Series.”
 
Meet the New ThinkPad P Series
 
ThinkPad P70: Designed for high-end professionals in industries ranging from media and entertainment to oil and gas, the Lenovo ThinkPad P70 introduces a 17-inch mobile workstation to the ThinkPad family. The new offering comes packed with the most memory and storage ever found in a mobile workstation. The ThinkPad P70 is loaded with up to 64GB of DDR4 ECC memory and the ability to handle up to four storage devices and up to a terabyte of SSD storage, utilizing the latest PCIe technology for speeds up to five times faster than current SATA technology. Additionally, the ThinkPad P70 comes with two Intel® ThunderboltTM 3 ports for ultra-fast connectivity and a 4K UHD display or optional FHD touch. 
 
“Media and entertainment professionals invest in complex and incredibly resource-intensive applications to bring their creations to life. They are increasingly looking for the performance to run these applications in a mobile workstation,” said visual effects industry pioneer Scott Ross. “The Lenovo ThinkPad P70 gives these users all the performance they need and more to continue to raise the bar for graphics innovation and move their industry forward. It’s the best mobile workstation I’ve seen.”
 
ThinkPad P50: Lenovo’s thinnest and lightest full-function mobile workstation yet, the ThinkPad P50 features a beautiful 15.6-inch UHD 4K display and is certified to run users’ most requested ISV applications. The ThinkPad P50 is a feature-rich, highly powerful mobile workstation for performance-seeking users. As the follow-on to the ThinkPad W541, the P50 builds on the innovation and purposeful design of Lenovo’s industry-leading ThinkPad mobile workstations.
 
The Ultimate in Mobile Workstation Performance
 
The new ThinkPad P50 and P70 are mil-spec tested for maximum durability, and also come loaded with the most advanced components and features available in a mobile workstation. These machines are the first equipped with the new Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1500M v5 product family, for lightning-fast performance and enhanced reliability for critical workstation applications. Both systems feature NVIDIA® Quadro® GPUs for unmatched graphics capability. The ThinkPad P Series also come with X-Rite® Pantone® color calibration, keeping colors accurate throughout the life of the product and protecting the customers’ investment.
 
The ThinkPad P50 and P70 feature a brand new FLEX Performance Cooling system.  The dual-fan design allows for cooler, quieter and faster performance. This revolutionary design allows for both optimal uptime, as dictated by the needs of the application, giving the user the ability to push the system harder and for longer periods of time.
 
 
 
 
Pricing and Availability
The new Lenovo ThinkPad P Series mobile workstations will be available starting in Q4 2015 through Lenovo business partners and on www.lenovo.com. Pricing for the P50 begins at $1599, and the P70 begins at $1999. More information about the ThinkPad P Series, including an interactive tour, can be found at www.thinkworkstations.com. For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter and Facebook.
 
Lenovo Services 
Businesses can opt for a variety of service and support solutions to fit their needs. With a committed focus on customer, quality and responsiveness, Lenovo Services offers innovative and integrated solutions to ensure maximum productivity. Warranty Extensions, Upgrades, Accidental Damage Protection, Keep Your Drive, Priority Technical Support and a complete set of factory and automated deployment services help organizations effectively bridge the gap between consumer and business.
 
Quotes: 
 
“We are excited to bring Intel Xeon’s legacy of performance, manageability and reliability to mobile workstations,” said Navin Shenoy, vice president and general manager, Mobility Client Platforms Group, Intel. “Now the power of Intel Xeon is in a notebook that can handle the unique compute and graphics intensive needs of engineers and designers.”
 
“Workstation users need the best graphics performance possible to harness the full potential of their professional applications,” said Greg Estes, vice president of Enterprise Marketing, NVIDIA. “By using NVIDIA Quadro mobile GPUs, the Lenovo ThinkPad P Series will provide customers with the most advanced graphics technology available to achieve the highest quality results, regardless of the task.”
 
“Our customers are using SOLIDWORKS to make great designs happen. The Lenovo ThinkPad P Series is designed to offer the performance they need without having to sacrifice functionality or reliability,” said Nicholas Iwaskow, SOLIDWORKS, Director Alliances and Partnerships, Dassault Systèmes. “We are excited to see how the ThinkPad P Series continues to evolve in the years to come.”
 
“The Lenovo ThinkPad P Series products are powerful mobile workstations for professional users,” said Susan Skidmore, Head of Partner Relations, Professional Video, at Adobe. “Creative professionals who use Adobe Creative Cloud and its powerful tools such as Adobe Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC expect their systems to keep up with their demands. Lenovo has built these systems with the application needs of these users in mind, and we’re confident that they will be more than up to the challenge regardless of the user’s industry.”
 
“Many product designers using PTC Creo® value system performance, functionality and portability,” said Brian Thompson, Senior Vice President, CAD Product Management at PTC®.  “It’s exciting to see that Lenovo has considered all of these factors in designing the ThinkPad P Series mobile workstations.  The innovations in these new mobile systems should be appealing to PTC Creo users working with resource-intensive models.”[1]
 
“Designers rely on their screens to display colors accurately and consistently over the life of their machines,” said Chris Winczewski, X-Rite’s Vice President, Product Marketing. “Only the Lenovo ThinkPad P Series features an integrated X-Rite Pantone color calibrator, so users can properly calibrate their displays for the most demanding projects. With this X-Rite exclusive technology, users can be sure they’re getting the highest color accuracy in a mobile workstation.”

Posted in: Laptops, News, Press Releases
By August 11, 2015 Read More →

Panasonic Viera range gets some big additions #VieraVIPClub

Screenshot 2015-08-11 at 10.09.52This year at the giant tech show IFA in Berlin Panasonic are going to be announcing something a little special. Having spent some time restructuring their approach to televisions and making it all about picture quality Panasonic are going to be upping the ante and pushing to achieve that which we all desire from a television, best picture quality. 

Rather than fussing with developing new software for the panels, Panasonic are bringing in a couple of specialised solutions to enhance the television experience. The software side is going to become a great deal more interesting.

The first major addition is the inclusion of Freeview Play. This updated viewing platform is taking Freeview to the next level. Making TV content available after live play in the electronic programme guide. Providing a catchup service without having to access separate applications, Freeview Play collates content on the channels you want in the same place. There will be a big role out of Freeview Play in the near future and Panasonic will be ahead of the rest as the first manufacturer to incorporate the service into a television.

The second exciting development is the move to Mozilla for the interface of the television. Gone are the clunky app selections and possible incompatibilities. In  comes the fresh, new Firefox OS, designed specifically to simplify experience and become personalised to your exact needs with minimal fuss of knowledge.

Screenshot 2015-08-11 at 10.24.04

We will be covering the announcements live from Berlin so check back for news of Panasonic’s new screen they will be debuting along with a couple of other surprises. We will have hands on with Firefox OS on the TV alongside release dates and pricing.

Posted in: News, TV & Home Cinema
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By August 11, 2015 Read More →

And Google is now Alphabet

Screenshot 2015-08-11 at 11.12.32It comes as a bit of a shock this morning that Google is getting a bit of a reshuffle. Announcing this on the Google blog post today, Larry Page, the current CEO of Google, is declaring a full re-organisation of Google, bringing in Sundar Pichai as the new CEO of Google.

Each of Google’s core business (Search, Advertising, Maps, YouTube, and Android) will be called Google and the rest (Google Ventures, Google Capital, Google X, Life Sciences, and Calico, Google Fiber, Nest and others will become individual businesses with their own leaders reporting to a holding company called Alphabet — and that will become the company’s new name.

Larry will be taking up CEO duties of the newly formed umbrella company named Alphabet (http://abc.xyz)

What is Alphabet? Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies. The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products contained in Alphabet instead. What do we mean by far afield? Good examples are our health efforts: Life Sciences (that works on the glucose-sensing contact lens), and Calico (focused on longevity). Fundamentally, we believe this allows us more management scale, as we can run things independently that aren’t very related. Alphabet is about businesses prospering through strong leaders and independence. In general, our model is to have a strong CEO who runs each business, with Sergey and me in service to them as needed. We will rigorously handle capital allocation and work to make sure each business is executing well. We’ll also make sure we have a great CEO for each business, and we’ll determine their compensation. In addition, with this new structure we plan to implement segment reporting for our Q4 results, where Google financials will be provided separately than those for the rest of Alphabet businesses as a whole.

Sergey and I are seriously in the business of starting new things. Alphabet will also include our X lab, which incubates new efforts like Wing, our drone delivery effort. We are also stoked about growing our investment arms, Ventures and Capital, as part of this new structure.

Alphabet Inc. will replace Google Inc. as the publicly-traded entity and all shares of Google will automatically convert into the same number of shares of Alphabet, with all of the same rights. Google will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet. Our two classes of shares will continue to trade on Nasdaq as GOOGL and GOOG.

For Sergey and me this is a very exciting new chapter in the life of Google — the birth of Alphabet. We liked the name Alphabet because it means a collection of letters that represent language, one of humanity’s most important innovations, and is the core of how we index with Google search! We also like that it means alpha-bet (Alpha is investment return above benchmark), which we strive for! I should add that we are not intending for this to be a big consumer brand with related products–the whole point is that Alphabet companies should have independence and develop their own brands.

 

Posted in: News
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By August 5, 2015 Read More →

Creative launch pro gaming audio gear

LS_BlasterX_H5_Mood ShotCreative Technology Ltd today announced at Gamescom 2015 the Sound BlasterX Gaming Series, a new line of gaming audio peripherals designed for today’s generation of discerning gamers.

Gaming content in this day and age encompasses immensely compelling graphics, expansive environments and incredibly detailed audio, akin to a full cinematic experience, delivered on multiple platforms, from mobile, to consoles and PCs. Famous for pioneering gaming audio on PCs and launching the multimedia revolution with the Sound Blaster line of sound cards, Creative continues to innovate and improve the gaming audio experience for today’s gamers. The Sound BlasterX line is committed to upgrading a user from “good enough” audio to the full cinematic experience that discerning gamers of today are looking for, wherever they are playing. The series is comprised of circumaural (over-the-ear) and in-ear headsets, and an external USB sound card with a built-in amplifier to provide gamers with a durable, complete, high-performance, high-definition gaming audio solution that is built to last.

Product_BlasterX_H5

Each product in the Sound BlasterX series is designed to deliver pristine aural performance and maximum comfort while levelling up a gamer’s overall experience by producing sound on par with today’s advanced graphics and game storytelling.

“Think about when you go to the movies – you go for the big screen, sometimes the 3D element, and cinematic sound. Movies wouldn’t be the same without perfectly timed sound effects, and that’s what many of today’s gamers are missing out on with their overall experience – the nuances that will determine win or lose – and they might not even realize it by settling for basic audio solutions. The graphics and storylines of today’s games are the best they have ever been and for audio details to match that requires something much more than basic motherboard audio or run-of-the-mill gaming headsets. With Sound BlasterX, we have a renewed focus on building gaming audio products that last and are designed to elevate gaming audio to complement the astounding graphics found in today’s games. We’re taking gaming from a desktop experience, to a cinematic experience. Once you hear the difference a BlasterX product makes in your games, there’s no going back to mediocre basic audio,” said Low Long Chye, General Manager of Audio at Creative.

Product_BlasterX_G5

The Sound BlasterX Gaming Series comprises of:

  • Sound BlasterX H7 – the ultimate HD 7.1 Surround USB circumaural gaming headset
  • Sound BlasterX H5 – the professional-grade analog circumaural gaming headset
  • Sound BlasterX P5 –  a miniature yet powerful high-performance in-ear gaming headset  
  • Sound BlasterX G5 – a 7.1 HD audio external sound card with built-in headphone amplifier

With this line of peripherals, Sound BlasterX offers a range of high-performance cross-platform gaming audio solutions for gamers – whether on PCs, mobile devices or consoles.

“As gamers, we’re extremely excited about the all new the Sound BlasterX Pro-Gaming Series,” said Jason Bass, COO of compLexity Gaming. “When we tested the products, we were amazed by the performance, build quality, how comfortable they were, and most of all, their signature sound. In fact, the team felt that the headsets resembled studio monitors. The headsets delivered amazingly accurate audio and were so comfortable that we felt as if we were wearing nothing at all.”

 The gaming headsets are tuned to enhance the listening experience and not to overwhelm. The entire Sound BlasterX range allows gamers to experience an amazing level of detail while being immersed in the gaming experience for extended hours without listening fatigue. The Sound BlasterX series of products offer a best in class audio solution for gamers with different usage preferences. Audio quality and clarity, comfort and durability are important no matter what level gamers are gaming at and the Sound BlasterX series cater to both the pro and casual gamers.

Product_BlasterX_P5

The Sound BlasterX Gaming Series also comes with the BlasterX Acoustic Engine software for PC that allows gamers to customize their audio profile to the game genres that they are playing. It is designed to intelligently decrease distractions and enhance essential audio details in games, giving gamers an added advantage.

The recently launched Sound Blaster X7 with its companion E-MU XM7 professional speakers, offers an ultra high-end gaming audio solution that completes the Sound BlasterX Gaming Series. This biggest, baddest, boldest Sound Blaster delivers an astounding 24-bit/192kHz high resolution audiophile experience for the ultimate gamer.

More details of the Sound BlasterX H7 and Sound BlasterX H5, the Sound BlasterX P5, and the Sound BlasterX G5 will be announced in separate press releases.

Pricing and Availability

The Sound BlasterX gaming series is priced as follows:

  • Sound BlasterX H7 – GBP129.99
  • Sound BlasterX H5 – GBP99.99
  • Sound BlasterX P5 – GBP59.99
  • Sound BlasterX G5 – GBP119.99
Posted in: Headphones, MP3 Players & Accessories, News, Press Releases, Science & Technology
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By August 3, 2015 Read More →

Sony Xperia M5 is official

xperia-m4-aquaSony have announced an impressive spec list for the Sony Xperia M5. An ad on youtube helps illustrate the good looking phone and we have dug around the net to find out as much as we can about what’s inside. Some are a little scepticale of the Mediatek processor however they have been coming along leaps and bounds in recent years. It’s refreshing to see Sony adding a little warning that of the 16gb  ROM 10 gb will be available to the user.

 

Here is what we have gleened from around the web: 

Display and design

  • 5″ Full HD (1920×1080 pixels)

Processor

  • MediaTek Helio X10 (MT6795)
  • 64-bit 2.0 GHz Octa-core processor
  • IMG Rogue G6200

Memory & Storage

  • 3 GB RAM
  • Up to 16 GB flash memory
  • Up to 200 GB microSD™ card

Camera and video

  • 21.5 megapixel Exmor RS with Hybrid AF
  • 5x Clear Image Zoom
  • 4K video recording
  • HDR for photos and videos
  • 13 megapixel front-facing camera, FHD 1080p for video capture
  • Sony Exmor RS™ for mobile image sensor

Battery

  • non-removable 2600mAh 

The Xperia™ M5 has 10 GB of free memory available to the user for downloaded applications

http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-m5/specifications/

Find out more about the Xperia M5: http://www.sonymobile.com/xperiam5/ 

Posted in: News, Phones
By July 31, 2015 Read More →

The Canon camera with an ISO of 4,000,000

aoeinopkgkx09pchnjuaCanon has recently announced a new multi-purpose camera known as the ME20F-SH. This specificaly designed camera has a novel featuring allowing the user to capture full HD colour video in pitch black conditions using an ISO of 4,000,000. An ISO of this scale is off the chart for current cameras, utilising a full-frame 35mm CMOS sensor packing just 2.26 megapixels. In addition to this the camera also increases the size of each pixel up to 19μm (5.5x larger than a high-end DSLR) to allow more light to be captured.

The potential for Security, a wild life photographer, explorer and even deep sea diving is extreme. This will allow shooting in persistently dark conditions.

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Posted in: Cameras, News, Science & Technology
By July 29, 2015 Read More →

The OnePlus 2 is here

op2The OnePlus One was a notable success and the logical sequel has just arrived. Whilst most probably are not aware of the launch, or even of the line as some mainstream media where not even aware of the OnePlus One in their articles, the OnePlus Two marks a handsome step towards reducing the price of a flagship phone and delivering what you need on the go. Due to be released on August 11 in two flavours, a £239 16GB version and £289 64GB top end model, the latest OnePlus phone have taken tips from LG and are pumping up the RAM for the highend variant from 3GB to 4GB. 

 The OnePlus 2 sports with an attractive 5.5-inch LCD display at 1080p and whilst not pushing screen tech buzz words like Retina 401 pixels is a respectable count even if it does forgo 4K. This is housed a body with a smaller bezel however it is a little fatter than before with dimensions on 74.9 x 151.8 x 9.85mm and it now weighs a heavier 175g instead of 162g. The OnePlus 2 runs Android, however more specifically, OxygenOS. An Android hybrid, rebuilt by OnePlus that features a lot of customised additions.

OnePlus 2 uses the admittedly problematic Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor backed by the Adreno 430 GPU running graphics processor, two nano SIM card slot, a bigger, non-removable battery and a better camera. A USB Type C port and charger that allows for reversible USB input and included cable. OnePlus have dropped the microSD card slot and this will be a big annoyance for those with the 16gb model eventually.

oxygenos-topic-img

Rob Kerr, mobiles expert at uSwitch.com, says:

“Its features rival today’s current flagship phones, so the OnePlus 2 is likely to be a threat to the current spate of top-tier mobiles.

 “It is even ahead of the game, by including features coming to the next generation of phones, such as the reversible USB Type-C port connector. 

 “At less than half the cost of Samsung’s flagship S6 handset, it’ll be looking to capture the mass market where decisions are based on price.

 “The company doesn’t have the massive marketing budgets of other manufacturers so, in effect, we’re really seeing the true cost of flagship phone, without everything in tow to sell it.

 “If other mobile makers were to adopt this tact, perhaps we’d see a truer reflection of what we should be spending on a new phone.”

 

Posted in: News, Phones
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By July 28, 2015 Read More →

HTC drop a feature rich Desire 626

htcs-desire-626-will-take-on-the-moto-gHTC Corporation (“HTC”), a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has announced the HTC Desire 626,the successor to the HTC Desire 620. With a variety of colour combinations, endless personalisation options, and an enhanced camera that enables sharper photography, the affordable smartphone lets you express yourself your way like never before.

“Our new HTC Desire 626 is designed to give you the most customised personal user experience. Packed full of advanced features, we are delivering the very best in terms of personalised design and performance, as well as great value, to our customers,” said Peter Frølund, HTC General Manager UK and Ireland.

Unique design and advanced features enable self-expression

The HTC Desire 626 offers vivid colours in a beautifully crafted dual-tone design, and delivers a unique user experience. Easy and intuitive to use, it runs on Android™ 5.1 and features HTC Sense™, which provides an enhanced, fully customised Android functionality. With the HTC Sense interface you can change the look of your phone’s interface as often as you change your own style; maximum customisation, minimum effort. These endless personalisation possibilities allow you to create, share and realise your full potential.

Powered by a Snapdragon™ 1.2GHz Quad-Core processor, the HTC Desire 626 delivers a smooth and reliable experience with the capability to allow you to effortlessly stream films, run your latest app, play your favourite games or flick through your latest photos, which all come to life on the vibrant 5 inch HD LCD screen.

Keeping an eye on breaking stories or your social feeds is made easy with HTC BlinkFeed™, which provides easy access to your own personalised stream of online content in seconds, allowing you to stay updated at a glance, direct from your homescreen. 

 

Capture life from all angles wherever you are

Whether you have a passion for photography or capturing short impactful videos, the HTC Desire 626 can be your perfect pocket companion. With the choice of an enhanced 13MP main camera or a 5MP front camera, photos and selfies can be taken from any angle, ensuring you can fully express yourself with sharper images and selfies.

 

The HTC Eye™ Experience allows you to easily edit your shots for instant effects thanks to built-in enhancements. The HTC Desire626 also features the ability to capture high-quality 1080p video using either the front or rear facing cameras, which can be turned into mini movies that can be shared with friends and family using the HTC Video Highlights feature.

 

With a range of storage options, from 16GB[1] internal memory to a MicroSD slot that supports up to 512GB additional storage, you can save and share every photo, video and experience that defines you, as often as you wish.

 

Availability

The HTC Desire 626 comes in White Birch, Blue Lagoon, Purple Fire and Dark Grey, and will be available with mobile operators including O2 and 3 as well as major retailer Carphone Warehouse.

Posted in: News, Phones, Press Releases
By July 27, 2015 Read More →

Inateck IPX8 Waterproof Case Unboxing

vlcsnap-2015-07-26-19h35m11s087Inateck have sent over a waterproof case to fit most devices. Here we have a look at this no frills approach to device care and a handy accessory if you are heading away to a beach somewhere or just to lounge by the pool. For £10.99 the Inateck Waterproof case does a lot however it won’t increase your chances with the opposite sex.

You can purchase one from Amazon, here.

Perfect Waterproof Companion for Your Phones 
Take your smartphones anywhere you like, go swimming, boating, rafting, diving and snorkeling without worrying about water damage.

Survive Your Devices Underwater
IPX8 waterproof pouch with secure swivel lock allows submerging your devices for at least 30 minutes.

Easy Access to Touch Screen
Designed with crystal clear film on both sides, texting, taking photo and recording videos just work the same as without using the case.

Universal Waterproof Pouch Design
Specifications: 17cm*10cm, fully compatible with devices up to 5.7″ screen displays and provide universal protection for keys, credit cards, ID cards, MP3 players, all iPhone, Samsung and other smartphones.

Compatible Models
Apple iPhone: iPhone 6 Plus/ 6/ 5s/ 5c/ 5/ 4s
Samsung Galaxy: Samsung Galaxy S6/ S6 Edge/ S5/ S4, Note 4/ 3/ 2 
Others: HTC One X, Nexus 4, Nokia Lumia 920/ 820 and so on

Please refer to the dimension of waterproof bag before you purchase it for your large screen smartphone with protective case together

Note: 
Lock the top to make sure the case is fully sealed.
Open the bag upside down in order to avoid water intrusion after using.

Posted in: Accessories, Reviews, Videos/Unboxings
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