02/22, 5:25pm
HP winter quarter defined by broad PC losses
HP reported results for its quarter ended January that reflected a bruising in the PC business regardless of category. Its net earnings dropped 44 percent to $1.5 billion following a seven-point loss in revenue to exactly $30 billion after the core Personal Systems Group saw its revenue down 15 percent versus a year ago; the enterprise server group dipped 10 percent. The PSG's losses were mostly pinned on home users, as mainstream PCs made 25 percent less revenue while pro workstations were flat.
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02/22, 1:45pm
India looks beyond DataWind after Aakash concerns
Plans by India's government to roll out the $35 Aakash tablet were thrown into turmoil Wednesday after the country's Human Resource Development Ministry cast doubts on whether the Android device would survive the second wave of adoption. Despite hopes of providing a rough equivalent to the iPad for education, contracted supplier DataWind was no longer guaranteed to move on to a second phase of production after a research institution raised major complaints about the Aakash's quality. Early users complained about low battery life, sluggish performance, and an unworkable resistive touchscreen.
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02/22, 11:55am
iTunes Match coming in second half of 2012
The Japanese iTunes Store has gained several other features in addition to iTunes in the Cloud, Apple has announced. This includes access to ringtones, downloading music over 3G instead of just Wi-Fi, and the Complete My Album option. All music on the store is now in iTunes Plus quality, meaning DRM-free, 256kbps AAC files. In some cases, tracks have been specifically mastered for iTunes.
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02/22, 9:35am
Apple claims iPad sales are 'national interest'
Lawyers for Apple and Proview exchanged heated words today in a Shanghai court hearing, according to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters. Proview is seeking a ban on iPad sales in the city as a part of its ongoing trademark dispute with Apple. "Apple has no right to sell iPads under that name," said a lawyer for Proview Shenzhen, Xie Xianghui. Proview once sold a product called the IPAD, or Internet Personal Access Device.
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02/22, 7:40am
iTunes first with Beatles-approved ringtones
Apple took advantage of its current exclusive on The Beatles (iTunes Store) with the first-ever availability of ringtones from the band on iTunes. The initial batch involves ringtones cut from the singles highlight album 1. Picks range from the very earliest songs, such as "Love Me Do," to "The Ballad of John and Yoko" and the very tail end of the band's career.
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02/21, 4:45pm
Dell touts record enterprise but masks PC trouble
Dell on Tuesday reported results that it touted as producing records but which signaled continued problems in its mainstay home PC business. Although its revenue was up two percent from winter a year ago to just over $16 billion, its profit was down 18 percent to $764 million. The largest drag was in the consumer group, where its revenue dipped two percent to $3.2 billion and it saw an extremely sharp 43 percent drop in operating income to $39 million.
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02/21, 4:15pm
Changes hit desktop, mobile iTunes apps
The Japanese version of iTunes in the Cloud now supports music, says Macotakara. Users of the desktop and mobile versions of the iTunes Store can now visit a "Purchased" tab to redownload previously-bought music. Prior to this week, only apps and books could be redownloaded in Japan, likely because of rights issues.
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02/21, 3:25pm
App may be under development
(Updated with rebuttal from The Daily) Microsoft is downplaying a supposed leak of Office for iPad, according to reports. The New York Times quotes a spokeswoman as saying that the The Daily's information is "based on inaccurate rumors and speculation." A spokesperson reached by ZDNet insists that a screenshot accompanying the The Daily article isn't authentic, but is refusing to say whether or not an iPad version of Office is in development.
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02/21, 2:50pm
Date consistent with reported US timetable
The iPad 3 will ship to Germany on March 23rd, local news site iFun.de claims to have learned. The assertion challenges ones made elsewhere that the country would only get the tablet in April. A March 23rd date would be roughly consistent with recent reports suggesting a product reveal in the first full week of March, followed by a launch in the US and/or several other countries mid-month.
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02/21, 2:40pm
Current topics from the forums.
MacNN forum goers continue to debate the possibility of a smaller iPad with the next revision in the thread titled "will Apple make a smaller iPad?" A discussion about connecting multiple monitors to a Mac Pro can be found in this thread started yesterday by Googer-Giger.
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02/21, 12:00pm
Tablet widely expected to premiere in March
Photos from the Chinese-language website Weibo appear to depict the front panel display and digitizer assembly for an iPad 3, notes Apple.pro. The hardware is said to be similar to that for the iPad 3, but with the distinction of a ribbon cable extending up the side of the display. In the iPad 2, an equivalent cable is said to be shorter, with a different orientation.
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02/21, 11:50am
Qualcomm fifth-gen Gobi chipset arrives
Qualcomm on Tuesday unveiled what might be one of its most important cellular chipsets in its fifth-generation Gobi reference design. The new version is the first to support multiple bands of LTE on a single chipset, including both regular LTE and the TD-LTE being used in China and some North American carriers. The hardware also has 3G support for both HSPA+ and EVDO, making the chips true world-roaming devices.
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02/21, 11:10am
Nintendo Wii U may become general-purpose
Nintendo might transform the Wii U into a full media hub if mentions of early discussions are accurate. AdWeek had heard this weekend that Nintendo had been in talks with "several major media companies," including music and sports providers in backroom CES chats last month. The console designer was even said considering a cable TV deal with Comcast, similar to the Xbox 360's live TV.
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02/21, 11:00am
Promises court cases to continue
Proview is now "preparing for negotiations" with Apple, says Xie Xianghui, a lawyer representing Proview. "The court cases will continue until we reach an agreement," he adds. While Xie has declined to go into any more detail, he does claim that Apple has expressed "peaceful intentions" in the matter. Apple has yet to publicly respond to requests for comment.
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02/21, 9:20am
Barnes and Noble intros cheaper Nook Tablet
Barnes & Noble fired its return shot against the Kindle Fire on Tuesday by introducing an 8GB version of the Nook Tablet. Its edition cuts the storage in half, and lowers the RAM to 512MB, but is otherwise functionally identical to the 16GB original. The two choices trim $50 off the price to hit $199, or as much as the Nook Tablet's Amazon counterpart.
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02/21, 8:55am
Office for iPad gets early details
Microsoft's long-rumored Office for iPad got a much more tangible piece of evidence after a leak Tuesday purported to show the suite itself. As shown by The Daily, Office would be an all-encompassing single app with Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. The interface would recall OneNote but bring in more of the Metro interface language from Windows Phone and Windows 8.
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02/21, 1:30am
Further signs of nearing iPad 3 release
Touch screen makers in Taiwan are expecting to report increased revenues in the second calendar quarter of 2012, almost entirely due to an expected new version of the iPad rumored to be launching next month. The industry publication DigiTimes, which has a mixed track record with regards to Apple news, reports that by contrast, revenues for HTC's touch-screen suppliers are expected to drop.
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02/20, 11:00pm
Next iPad 3 leak fills in minor details
One more new scoop has hoped to fill in the seemingly few remaining details of the third-generation iPad. A MIC Gadget "confirmed" example of the new iPad's back casing was put in a direct comparison with the iPad 2 and provided more details than recent leaks as to how it would compare: other than a more pronounced taper at the edges and a very slightly deeper 1-1.5mm thickness, the design was virtually identical to that of the outgoing tablet. It was close enough that some third-party cases could still work, the site found.
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02/20, 4:05pm
CanvasWorld launches new contest
Silva has announced the launch of a new line of handmade bamboo cases designed for the iPad 2. The case's exterior is coated with a hard rubber finish, while the interior is lined with a wool felt layer to protect the iPad 2. Magnets are also built into the case to automatically put the iPad 2 to sleep when sealed away. Two variations of the case, with and without a leather handle, are available and can be purchased for $130 with free shipping inside the United Sates.
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02/20, 1:25pm
Resembles authentic app
Shoppers on the App Store are complaining of a scam Pokémon app, Pokémon Yellow. Title makes some pretenses of being authentic Pokémon game, for instance by using an official-looking icon, and claiming to have "original sounds, features, Pokémon and characters." A quick look shows inconsistencies though, such as an unknown developer, anonymous five-star reviews, and a statement that "All trademarks and copyrights are owned by their respective owners."
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02/20, 12:20pm
Extracts files, but doesn't compress
Utility maker WinZip has introduced the first iOS version of its software. Users can open and browse ZIP archives stored locally or attached to emails. This includes support for encrypted archives, and ones with multi-file attachments.
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02/20, 11:10am
Accusation comes after minor Proview court victory
Apple is now threatening to sue Proview for defamation as a part of the companies' ongoing iPad trademark dispute, says IDG News. On Monday Apple is reported to have sent a letter to Proview, insisting that Proview Shenzhen chairman Yang Rongshan stop releasing what Apple claims is false information. It warned Proview that it might otherwise launch the defamation suit.
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02/20, 8:15am
Intel Ivy Bridge delay to June seen as partial
Intel's claimed delay of Ivy Bridge processors may have been limited and contextualized in a rumor on Sunday. The company still planned to ship desktop and quad-core mobile processors on time, VR-Zone heard, and was mostly keeping the June delays to dual-core mobile processors. Supporting the earlier rumor, the new tips cast it as a move to clear unsold stock of current-generation Sandy Bridge processors, both for raw chips and for unsold (primarily Windows-based) PCs.
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02/20, 12:35am
Samsung spinout backs shift to OLEDs
Samsung on Monday confirmed rumors it was spinning out its LCD business. The group, to be renamed Samsung Display, would separate from its parent on April 1 pending approval. It would start off with $667.3 million of working capital.
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02/19, 4:30pm
Samsung may use Chinese firm to make iPad 3 LCDs
An atypical leak on Sunday saw the the manufacturing roots of the reported iPad 3's display more than the displays themselves. With the 2048x1536 resolution already identified, a WePost.me forum contribution showed what's claimed to be shots from contractor Radiant Opto-Electronics' plant as it shipped a batch of the new screens. Although located in Wujiang, near Shanghai, the displays are labeled and boxed as Samsung displays that are reportedly shipped to Samsung in Korea before they reach Apple.
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02/19, 1:15pm
iPad 3's chip may be upgraded A5 instead
An apparent discovery Sunday has shown what's purported as the iPad 3's mainboard with an unexpected A5X, not A6, processor name. The WeiPhone details don't directly indicate what this would imply, but they imply more of an evolution than a major overhaul. A date code on top suggests it was made in 2011 week 46, or about November 14-20 and the timeframe when iPad 3 production may have started.
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02/19, 1:10am
iPad 3 may take big leap in camera tech
Another alleged sighting of the iPad 3 back casing and internals has lent incidental support to rumors that the new Apple tablet could have an eight-megapixel camera. Conducting one of the few direct comparisons between old and new, Taiwan's Apple Daily showed both a conspicuously larger rear lens and maintained that it would have an eight-megapixel camera. It also asserted that the anticipated A6 upgrade would be a quad-core chip, although contradictory stories have mentioned a faster dual-core chip in its place.
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02/18, 12:10pm
Apple developer guide helps platform newcomers
Apple on Friday quietly posted a Getting Started guide for new iOS developers. The overview is intended as a top-level look and goes with basics such as setting up Xcode, understanding what types of code are needed, and more abstract issues such as design guidelines and App Store submission.
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02/17, 9:30pm
Apple takes Moto accusations to EU officials
Motorola in an SEC filing Friday said that Apple had formally complained to the European Commission that Motorola was allegedly violating the FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) terms around its 3G patents. The complained had been lodged the same day. Exact details of the complaint hadn't been mentioned.
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02/17, 7:40pm
Comedian Lee Ridley uses iPad to deliver routine
Lee Ridley, who lost his voice as child due complication at birth, has found his voice on stage as a comedian, thanks to the iPad. Using the Speak it! app ($2, iTunes), Ridley has fashioned a stand-up routine that is self-mocking, but highlights how he has been able to overcome his physical challenges using technology. The Speak it! app enables text to speech in what approaches a very natural sound, belying its electronic origins, as the video of Ridley in action embedded below shows.
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02/17, 6:10pm
Apple auditor FLA says Foxconn needs to be fixed
Fair Labor Association chief Auret van Heerden updated his opinions in a conversation on Friday that signaled possibly drastic action ahead. In talking to Bloomberg, he partly rescinded an earlier warm reaction and said the group was "finding tons of issues" at the contract manufacturer. He wouldn't say what these were, but he anticipated "very significant announcements" soon.
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02/17, 5:35pm
iPad 3 pixels seen 4X as dense
A rare, direct hands-on with what's believed to be a leaked iPad 3 display may have confirmed its 2048x1536 resolution. The MacRumors investigation went beyond surface checks to show that the pixel density was exactly four times higher than on the iPad 2 while keeping the 9.7-inch size. As expected, the display couldn't be powered up to show the effect, although at 264 pixels per inch it could appear near-seamless.
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02/17, 3:05pm
Results may demand concerted effort
A study conducted in Auburn, Maine suggests that the iPad may be able to improve literacy rates among kindergarten students, notes The Loop. The Auburn School Department recently assigned iPads to half of the district's 16 kindergarten classes for a period of nine weeks. This translated into 129 students being taught with iPads, and 137 without; to gauge results, all of the students were tested before and after the trial.
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02/17, 2:45pm
Chitika thinks Windows web share sign of OS drop
Chitika highlighted what it saw as a possible tidal shift in the computing industry based on its web tracking. Windows' share of the web dropped by 10 percent of its relative value in the past six months, down from 78.3 percent in August to 71.4 percent in February. An unusually sharp drop came in January, where it lost 4.2 percent of relative (3.2 percent absolute) share in a matter of weeks.
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02/17, 1:50pm
spiderArm launched online
Following yesterday's Mountain Lion announcement, Firemint has detailed its plan to incorporate some of the operating system's new features into Real Racing 2. Game Center integration will add achievements, leaderboards, and friend invites for online play, while AirPlay support will allow users to easily play the game on external displays. Additionally, the update will add support for synchronizing game saves between iOS and Mac versions of Real Racing.
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02/17, 1:40pm
Refurbished Apple products
This week at Apple's online store save on refurbished iMacs like the 21.5-inch iMac with a 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive, now $929 after a $170 price cut. A $340 price cut is available on the refurb. 27-inch iMac with a 3.1GHz Intel quad-core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive, now $1659.
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02/17, 1:30pm
Amazon Kindle Fire spring update may be very cheap
Amazon may be hoping to shave even more costs on its possible spring Kindle Fire follow-up. Rumors Friday from suppliers given to China Times had it hand-picking which individual contractors it would use instead of giving a blanket deal with Quanta for the original. One of the new entrants might be contract manufacturing giant Foxconn (Hon Hai).
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02/17, 12:40pm
Apple to give 10K prize to 25b app downloader
Apple capped the week with a countdown that confirmed it was getting close to its 25 billionth App Store download. The figure is the first App Store-related countdown since the 10 billion mark in 2010. As in its more recent countdowns, Apple is promising a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card to whoever either downloads the 25 billionth app or makes a free contest entry at that point.
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02/17, 12:25pm
Proview Shenzhen chairman takes hardline
Proview is holding to the position that it retains the iPad trademark in China, the company has announced at a Friday press event. "If we are not compensated properly, then Apple doesn't use the iPad trademark in mainland China," states Yang Rongshan, chairman of Proview Shenzhen, and the main shareholder in Proview International. A representative for Proview creditors in fact suggests that Apple could end up paying as much as $2 billion in compensation, even though Proview has previously only sought up to $1.6 billion in its lawsuit.
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02/17, 12:10pm
Genesis Photonics might supply Apple TV components
Apple's much-rumored TV set might have had one of its first non-obvious part suppliers named through new tips. Contacts claimed to Digitimes that Genesis Photonics was expected to supply the LED backlighting circuitry for a Sharp-made panel. The Japanese company is believed to have switched some of its ordering from local firm Nichia to Taiwan's Genesis as far back as the first half of 2011, making Genesis' contribution to Apple more likely.
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02/17, 11:25am
NPD points to iPad owners being wealthier, older
iPad owners are increasingly more likely to be wealthier and older than their counterparts, the NPD Group uncovered on Friday. Over 40 percent of iPad owners have a combined household income of over $100,000 a year where just 26 percent of those with Android and PlayBook tablets can claim the same. These more comfortable homes were more likely to have tablets as a whole.
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02/17, 10:15am
Foxconn institutes third recent pay raise
Foxconn on Friday significantly raised pay for its floor workers in China for the third time in about one and a half years. An entry-level factory worker in Foxconn's main facilities at Shenzhen would now get between 16 to 25 percent more pay per month depending on whether or not the person passed a technical test. The pay would be equivalent to 1,800 yuan ($286) base or 2,200 yuan ($349) with the certification.
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02/17, 9:20am
Messages beta hints at super-high res Macs
Apple's Messages beta may have been a further clue as to Apple's possible plans for high-resolution Mac displays. Multiple images in the app package are designated "@2x," a new designation usually seen only in recent pre-release iOS code. Even the normally small chat tab icon for a contact is 82x82.
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02/16, 11:55pm
Google alleged in Safari privacy circumvention
(Update: Google's full response) Google in a report Thursday night was accused of circumventing the cookie privacy settings in Apple's desktop and mobile versions of Safari. Web ad code seen by Wall Street Journal advisor Ashkan Soltani allegedly bypassed blocks in Safari's settings on about a fifth of the top 100 websites. Google wasn't alone as Media Innovation Group, PointRoll, and Vibrant Media were also using the strategy, but Google through its size and status was the most significant.
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02/16, 8:00pm
Documents contradict Proview's 'affiliate' defense
Documents obtained by AllThingsD appear to show conclusively that Apple did indeed buy worldwide rights to the trademark name "iPad" in 10 different countries from Proview prior to the introduction of the tablet, and not from a "subsidiary that didn't own the name" as Proview has been claiming. The documents, part of a court case Apple won in a Hong Kong court, strongly support Apple's version of events.
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02/16, 6:45pm
iOS 5.1 may answer gripes of quick camera use
A finding Thursday in a late and possibly Apple-only build of iOS 5.1 has hinted that Apple may have addressed a common complaint about camera access. The pre-GM (gold master) version seen by Brazil's Blog do iPhone would have the camera button always available on the lock screen just require a swipe up to start shooting. Apple's current approach only shows the camera after double-tapping the home button, leading some to miss the camera shortcut entirely.
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02/16, 5:50pm
FTC wants more transparency on child info
The FTC in a set of recommendations Thursday called on Android and iOS developers alike to provide more information to adults about what information an app might collect about their kids. Officials wanted simple, direct information to help parents either filter access or avoid apps entirely. It was "almost impossible" to know which apps were scraping data and more difficult still to know where that information was going, agency chairman Jon Leibowitz said.
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02/16, 4:25pm
App opens doors, finds car, sounds horn and more
BMW has made its iOS app available to its car owners in the US (free, App Store). The app, My BMW Remote, lets owners use their Apple device in conjunction with the company's BMW Assist service to remotely access and control their vehicle's features. Basic remote functions include finding the car's location, remote door locking and unlocking, and pushing a local Google search to the vehicle.
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02/16, 1:55pm
Third party iOS devices warranty
Bump, a free app for quickly sharing information between mobile devices, has been completely redesigned with a focus on sharing contact information in social settings and sharing photos with friends and family. Unlike most major updates, Bump 3.0 actually removes more features than it adds, however, the developers feel this has resulted in a streamlined experience that still offers the most requested functions. Bump's new interface uses a swipeable layer that allows users to move between different functions while remaining ready to bump at any time. The existing mutual friends feature has also been expanded and will now instantly show any mutual friends that two new contacts have. At the time of writing the update has not shown in the App Store, but is expected to become available later today.
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02/16, 12:50pm
Study shows Kindle Fire hurting Android rivals
A rare breakdown of tablet market share by IHS iSuppli has shown that the Kindle Fire may be doing more damage to other Android manufacturers than to Apple. Amazon was estimated to have shipped 3.9 million units in the fall, or enough to get it 14 percent of the market. While this dropped the iPad's 15.4 million units from 64 percent share to 57, other Android supporters lost over a quarter of their own share.
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