CHROMEBOOK PIXEL 2015 : REVIEW

CHROMEBOOK PIXEL 2015 : REVIEW

 

 The new Chromebook Pixel (2015) is here, since the original release of the Pixel 3 years back.Chromebooks in the recent years have  made an impact in the PC market by making their way into the basic and affordable PC segments.The Pixel from Google is said to be the pinnacle in the Chromebook market, this time let's see if Google has bridged the gaps from previous Chromebooks ?

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The new ChromeBook Pixel looks much alike like it's predecessor which was launched 3 years ago.It has the same  "boxy feel to it ", which is kind of not  bad also. In simple terms the design looks "solid", when you see the laptop it has a great finish for an aluminium body.The new ChromeBook feels heavy at 3.3 pounds. That’s less than half a pound heavier than the 13-inch Mac Book Air, but a lot of the Pixel’s weight is situated in its large 3:2 touchscreen, overall it's feels "weird" . As before, there's a thin LED strip on the lid, except now, you can "knock " it to see roughly how much battery life you have left (up to four bars will light up).

      The new Pixel’s has  a super-sharp, 12.85-inch, 2560 x 1700 resolution  touchscreen display.Although Chrome OS has gotten better with basic touchscreen responsiveness , still it's not as up par with the feel you get in Windows versions. Though the touchscreen is not up up to the use but it is a add on feature for the consumer considering it.
  In addition to being sharp, the Pixel's display boost's rich colors and wide viewing angles. The visibility is good , even despite the touchscreen glossy finish and in fact the sunlight readability had surprised me.The only concern with the display is height of the display which may be concerning sometimes.

The Battery life :  

   The last Pixel was a disappointment  in this area , and all other chromebooks were just satisfactory. But the new Pixel as an impressive battery life , it gives around 12 hours and in battery  test it gave us around 11 hours which is quite decent. Due to the light Chrome OS the battery is saved more than the normal laptops.Additionally, the Pixel has a fast charging technology , which claims to give  2 hours in 15 minutes, or a full charge in 2 hours, according to Google.

USB C :

   The Chromebook Pixel is the first notebook to ship with a USB - C type connector.Just a couple of days ago, we saw Apple aggressively endorse this new standard by making it the only port on the new Mac Book. USB - C also called   "jack of all trades" , which equally works as a power , USB connectivity and displays.
   Adding these ports to the Pixel should mean we’ll also see them on other, cheaper Chromebooks down the road. Unlike the new Mac Book, Google is keeping the legacy ports on the Pixel, which means you’ll also get two USB 3 ports, an SD card slot, and a headphone / mic jack.
 The keyboard is quite literally the same as the first Pixel. The keyboard is well spaced out and the keys have the same design throughout.The keys are large and easy to hit, and they're springy enough that I didn't have to mash the keys in order for my button presses to register. Typing experience was fast with just a few typos.The back light settings on the keyboard have been tuned so it only turns on when your hands are actually over it.The touch pad is also a joy to use: spacious with smooth, controlled tracking.

PERFORMANCE

  The  new Pixel is faster than other Chromebooks ,  It has a fifth-generation Core i5 processor, Intel HD 5500 graphics and 8GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage (plus the 1TB of cloud storage that you get from Google Drive for three years). The extra RAM means that the Pixel is less likely to bog down when you have lots of tabs open. Still with the least basic chromebooks all the task can be performed very well , as the Chrome OS is so light that the hardware specs just don't matter eventually .

CHROME OS:

 Chrome OS has come a long way since  the original Pixel,back in 2013. The Chrome OS had come into the market as an Internet first OS .But now the story is turning different, Google app has offline access, including Gmail, Drive, Music and Google Play Movies & TV. Many third-party apps, such as Pocket and Amazon Kindle Cloud Reader, now work offline, too. In fact, the selection is big enough that there's even a section of the Chrome Web Store .

 As of the previous version, Chromebooks have always-on, "OK Google" voice search.You can remotely lock your machine if it gets lost or stolen. The file manager is better organized. Chrome OS sends photos to Google+ in the background, even if you don't have the app open.
But still the Chrome OS lacks the productivity ,you could talk yourself into the idea that you really won’t need "advanced" apps like full-featured games, photo editors, or video editors.If you are not into high-end stuff , and just want to have a basic multimedia laptop , the Chrome OS may be sufficient.
 Hey ! still want the ChromeBook Pixel ,  and if Chrome OS isn't enough, you can load a new operating system through a USB drive (or you could just run it in its own window).    

WRAP UP :

It's been three years first Chromebook came out, the idea of a laptop running the Chrome browser as an OS is still a not there yet. The new ChromeBook is priced at $999 , wildly expensive then the current chromebooks  in the market.The new Pixel has a great design and a display to make it a premium product. Keeping in mind the new Pixel offers a much better speed and far better battery life than the other chromebooks.
  Said all that the Chrome OS is the most stinging part in the whole package. Though the Chrome OS has developed these years , we still can't expect a full-fledged operating system still.And is still not a replacement for  what you can do on a Mac or a PC.
 "Everyone should dream of one - but not buy one " . Chromebooks have not really captured but the Pixel is the forward leap in it. We hope as time passes it becomes one of the main contenders of the PC race.   

Full Specs : Chromebook

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MICROSOFT LUMIA 640 & 640 XL

MICROSOFT LUMIA 640 & 640 XL

          With all the Apple , Samsung and HTC buzz at the MWC 2015 , Microsoft choose not to show up directly. Well with all companies releasing their flagships , Microsoft on the other hand released two budget smart phones -- the Lumia 640 and the Lumia 640XL.Microsoft didn't show up the Windows 10 flagships as everyone thought but maybe at their Build event the hope would be alive again.Now getting back at the Lumia 640 and the 640XL have been specifically designed for the budget friendly countries. In these countries Microsoft Lumia has not got hold of the market as the others.  Let's see what the Lumia 640 and the Lumia 640XL  have to offer?


         The Lumia 640 and the Lumia 640XL are both similar , Microsoft has taken this concept from the Nokia X and XL strategy. However this strategy in the X series was a disaster and we just hope for the Lumia series it takes off.

Design & Display :

 

            The Lumia 640 has the same " boxy design " as the other Lumia's in this category. The Lumia 640  is 8mm thick and weighs around 145g. While the Lumia 640XL is an inch thicker (9mm) and weighs around 171g.The Lumia 640 supports a  5 inch IPS LCD Corning Gorilla  Glass display with a resolution of 1280 X 720 and 259 ppi.While on the other hand the 640 XL supports a 5.7 inch same display with also the same resolution. Both the phones display look good with clear display sufficient for Windows  Phone UI.The text on the screen looks sharp and the  IPS panel allowed for excellent contrast ratios with deep blacks. Viewing angles are wide  and colors look well saturated.

              However thinking about the XL has the same resolution of 720p , the display doesn't feel so good due to the size of the screen. The phablet sized 640XL is a good display for the price but never going to look as crisp and clear on the expensive phablets already in the market.

Power & Battery:

                Both Lumia have almost exactly spec sheet in terms of hardware in both of them.Both phones run on a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, along with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, the latter of which can be upgraded up to 128 GB through a micro SD card.because Windows Phone OS works quite well on low spec phones , these specs are good enough for the price category they have been offered.Both these phones have been confirmed to get the Windows 10 update.  

                    Due to the bigger Lumia 640 XL offers better battery life because it runs on a 3,000mAh pack, whereas the the Lumia 640 features a 2,500mAh battery.

Camera :

         
            Lumia is known for it's camera capabilities and the software rendering it provides for the photos.Lumia making sure it remains the same, the Lumia 640XL comes with a 13-mega pixel Zeiss f/2.0 lens in the back and a 5-mega pixel camera with a wide-angle lens in the front.The specs of both the camera's are pretty powerful for a phone in this class.On the other hand , the Lumia 640 has slightly lower specs , it comes with a 8-mega pixel ( No Zeiss ) main shooter and a 1-mega pixel front camera.Both devices are also equipped with an LED flash, which allows for a “Rich Capture“ shooting mode that takes two images – one with flash and the other without – simultaneously.

             Speaking of the performance , the Lumia 640 XL performs better with sharp and clear images. Due to Zeiss lens technology the camera captures a pretty good amount of detail. The low light performance have to bee tested for both the machines.Whereas, the Lumia 640 does a pretty decent job with what specs it has.Both selfie camera have average performance ,again the Lumia 640XL has a larger sensor so it slightly performs better.



The smaller Lumia 640 will cost €140 (about Rs 10,000).The Lumia 640 XL, meanwhile, will set you back €190 (about Rs 15,000) and comes in two variants 3G and LTE.Both the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL offering stylish, mostly inoffensive designs and decent power at affordable prices. They’ll be easy ways into Windows 10 and its many upgrades as well. The stronger cameras of the 640 XL appear to make that phone the superior of the two, but either way, Microsoft looks to be offering decent value here. Let's see if this strategy of Microsoft works after all.
 

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APPLE WATCH

APPLE WATCH

           Apple Spring Forward event was held  specially for the Apple Watch. Apple Watch was shown by Apple in it's previous event in 2014.Apple had told that the Watch would be available in April 2015 , but didn't reveal the exact details of either the launch nor the Apple Watch.So enough backwards , let's see what Apple has for the wearable tech.

           The Apple watch comes in a variety of materials for each persons preferences.Apple Watch comes with Stainless steel , Aluminum and Gold versions. The watch comes in two different sizes , the 42cm (height) and 38cm (height). The Apple Watch sport comes with an aluminum body , the Apple Watch comes with Stainless steel body and the Limited Edition Apple Watch comes with 18 karat Gold body to have a premium look.The Apple Watch fells more comfortable on the wrist.
 
           The time face of Apple Watch is quite different from other smart watches in the market.The Apple Watch has a variety of watch faces and can even be customizable. You can add remainders , fitness or even weather and a whole bunch of custom details can be added.Apple has also introduced glance screen , which is more like a notification bar but with more details.You can swipe from bottom to top to access it .It's quite similar to the one in the Android Wear.Glance screen can show you the important details as well as your heartbeat at that time.

          Apple Watch can now show and reply to messages directly from the watch.The taptic engine produces an sensation that you have received a message.Siri is integrated in Apple Watch so you can either reply by voice or by text. Apple Watch also can now receive calls on your Watch. So you can either answer it on the Watch or on the iPhone.How can a person talk on the Watch ?? AWKWARD .  Apple Watch also gives you option of text reply when a person is calling. No it does not have a SIM slot but is connected to your Apple iPhone.You can view you e-mail also n the Watch , if it's too long just scroll it by the help of crown.You can mark it as read or unread also.




Apple Pay as shown in the earlier event by Apple just works on like the iPhone.Apple Pay is synched across the iPhone and gets all the card that you have  saved . You can pay directly from the watch by just keeping it near the device. It also gives us a taptic response when the transfer has been done.Apple Watch has a ton of third party apps -- Wechat , Uber, Instagaram to name a few. You can request a cab from Uber just like and you can see the details by just scrolling the crown.Instagram also gives you the simplified app for your Watch. The best one ---  SPG hotels now have an app for the Apple Watch in which your room no is shown and also the conformation no , so no need to stand at the reception.Apple Watch can act as a key to your room and by just keeping it near the lock your room is unlocked.


  The Apple Watch has inner circle of friends so as to connect to them at any time. You can press the side button on the Apple watch and access your inner circle. You can choose the person by scrolling through them by the crown.Once selected you can either call , message or Digital Touch.Digital Touch is a new way offered by Apple to connect to people , so if sketch a drawing on your Watch the same sketch appears to the other persons Watch you have sent. With Digital touch you can  send a tap to the person so that they can know that you are thinking of them.Digital Touch also makes it possible to send your heartbeats to the other person , so the person receives the exact heart rate that the watch recorded.


FITNESS ?

Fitness being the most important part of smart watch sales and a forte for the smart watch companies to accomplish. So is it better ?
The Watch has four Sapphire sensors : the IR , LED diodes and also photo-sensors which measure the heart rate.It also has accelerometer and GPS which allows it to make Fitness Apps make accurate data and making fitness goals by telling the amount of calories burnt.The fitness app  has three ring interface in which each ring as tells us specific activity. The inner most ring shows the time you been standing.Apple Watch pops up a message if you been sitting to long and helps you reach the goal.
The middle ring is the exercise ring and shows you your workout of the day. The global time declared is 30 minutes for a good day. The last ring being the movement you have done basically the calories you have burnt through the day. So you can start by small and modify as you like, the all three rings can be modified as per the user. At the end of the week the Watch gives you the weekly report and also suggest for a better workout plan.      

             You can either use the inbuilt Health app provided by Apple or optimize for a detailed workout app by Nike -- the Nike + . Both apps work great either of them can be useful.Nike + is recommended for more intensive workouts.

 
          The Apple Watch will go on sale April 24th, with prices starting at $349 and running to over $10,000 for its top-of-the-line models. Apple Watch Sport, the low-end model housed in aluminum, starts at $349 for the 38mm model and $399 for the 42mm model. The stainless steel Apple Watch will start at $549 for the 38mm model and $599 for the 42mm model, with prices ranging up to $1,049 and $1,099 depending on the band they're paired with. The 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition will start at $10,000. Those will only be available in select retail stores.

In all the Apple Watch is far more advanced then it's competitors in the market.It has a good design and shows a comfort to your hand. Leaving the Hardware or design aside, the software Apple has provided is just out of league. It shows great simplification and the use of simple use of hardware like the crown for the home button as well as home.With kick start of a great deal of apps not just by Apple but also third party apps , Apple has made a masterpiece or not only time will tell.
So is it better than Moto 360.

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Apple's New MacBook

Apple's New MacBook

                    Apple introduced it's all new  edition to it's MacBook line , the Apple MacBook.The new Apple MacBook is the thinnest and the lightest laptop ever made by Apple. Since 2010 this is the major addition to the ultra portable line. It's more portable than the existing the MacBook Air. I wonder why Apple didn't call it ,"Air 2 or even Airless" for that matter.

                   The new MacBook is a whopping 2 pounds in weight , it's even lighter than the MacBook Air which weighs just around 3 pounds.It's just 13.1 millimeters thick, around 25 percent less than the 11-inch MacBook Air. For reducing this much in size and weight , Apple has made modifications to in and out.
     
                 Apple has redesigned it's full fledged keyboard which was already loved by all.Apple has invented a new way of key pressing mechanism calling it -- butterfly mechanism. The butterfly mechanism helps to nullify the wobbly feeling that the keys have when pressed.The keyboard is now 40 percent thinner than the standard keyboard. the keys have a little depth in the middle so it springs back up in no time.Which helps in having a better typing speed and good overall typing experience.

             Now Apple had also redesigned  the track pad, as the new MacBook was so thin that the normal track pad was not possible to fit in it. Normally Apple has a glass layered track pad which is same but the new MacBook has a Four Sensor Taptic Engine beneath that glass.So it's basically a pressure sensitive track pad so different forces give you various functions. It feels like a normal track pad when using it and due to the pressure sensitive engine beneath it there's also Force Click.
For instance, I can press and hold my finger down over an address in Mail, only to see a map pop up. I can do the same in Safari as a way of getting a Wikipedia summary. It also works in Finder, allowing me to preview files.It has the ability to fast-forward or rewind extra fast in Quick Time by bearing down on the arrow icons. In all the track pad knows when you have just touched or forced clicked on it.



    Back to portability -- So for making it this thinner and lighter , some sacrifices had to be made.The first thing to notice is that the led Apple sign is replaced by the shiny Apple Logo this time. it has also compromised on the ports , so all the ports are just a single USB-C type connector.From there, you can use the port to charge the device, as well as use adapters to make it work with HDMI, VGA and Display Ports on other devices. With it just an Audio output is provided . So making it one of the most painful thing for customer to hang-on.

             The new MacBook is rocking a 5th Gen Intel Core M processor , it is not a powerful  at all so don't even think of editing or even graphical work on it.The new MacBook comes with 8 GB RAM and Intel HD Graphics.So it's basically a tablet to a keyboard.


          The new MacBook comes with not the regular batteries but contour batteries which are basically like sheets of metal.Which are stacked onto each other to make a battery, which has benefits as well as dropouts. The main benefit being the size and the dropout being the power output.

         All though making it this thin one thing Apple has maintained to do is to pack it with pixels.It has a stunning 12-inch  2,304 x 1,440 Retina display that's equal to all the other Retina displays. The display looks stunning with bright colors and a good saturation of colors.The viewing Angles are great and is a super sharp display. The display can be described as just "awesome".  

                 The "New MacBook  " ,as it's called isn't actually an upgrade to the Air at all; it exists as an entirely new product line, separate from both the Air and the Pro. At $1,299, it won't be cheap, but it's for people who demand the thinnest and lightest possible design from Apple. It feels  like a 12 inch iPad attached to a full fledged keyboard .So for  one who just wants two perspective in a laptop that is -- screen and portability, the new MacBook is perfect. For others just stick to the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro.
  

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HTC ONE M9 : MWC 15

HTC ONE M9 : MWC 15

               Well we were expecting this from a long time since all the rumors started heating up.The HTC One M9 is here , the much awaited successor to the M8. HTC One M9 looks quite similar to the M8 just the company has changed what's inside can be said in one line about M9.The M8 was a great success for the company in the design area , so it is not changed in the design perspective. So how does it differ from M8 and whats new ? , let's see !!.

               The HTC One M9 as seen looks quite similar to it's predecessor. While they have changed quite some bit of the design.The One M9 is thinner and shorter , but this time it's a little heavier than M8.The One M9 comes with a dual tone color like the  half-silver, half-rose gold. This time the buttons are more easily accessible keeping them a little towards the bottom and only to the one edge.
Overall the metal has a brushed look which feels quite good to the hand.Like the One M8 the M9 also feels slippy in the hand , and is a fear that the phone might drop any second.
 
            The One M9 comes with a 5 inch Full HD 1080p display.Even if it was Quad HD the difference would be just negligible. The One M8 had around one of  the best display and the M9 is no exceptional. The display has a 441 PPI and still can be discussed as a great display. The colors look great , great saturation and the viewing angles are also satisfactory.

             The main change that the M9 has got is the all new camera . The M9 has a 20 MP f/2.2, 27.8mm lens camera sensor with two tone LED flash.The camera shoots a 4K video and captures high resolution images. While there is no (OIS) Optical Image Stabilization , which is a disappointment.The room light photos look good but the low light photographs have to be tested. This time there is no Ultra Pixel on the back but instead in the front camera. The M9 has a 5MP UltraPixel  front camera with wide lens. Which can be great for the selfie groups and also shoots 1808p video.

                 BoomSound the audio masterpiece by HTC , so is it changed ? Actually, No the Boomsound remains in the M9  as was in the M8 but this time HTC has put Dolby Sound coupled with it. The top Boom Speakers are now shorter to have place for the wide lens front camera. The BoomSound has to be tested but looking at the past , I hope HTC has made it better.
 
                 So what running it ? The HTC One M9 has a all new Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 64 bit processor.With ROM of 32GB and RAM of 3 GB while it is supported by an external Micro-SD card expendable unto 128 GB.For connectivity it has  NFC , Bluetooth  4.1 , Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz) & 3.5 mm stereo audio jack.

                    
                  The M9 comes with a new HTC Sense . The HTC Sense 6 is top on  recent Android Lollipop 5.0.2 and maintains the look. The HTC Sense now fells more smoother and responsive , HTC has added quick settings on the notification bar.And has added a new widget which changes according to your location , so when you are at home it will give you all the home apps and the same with work.Well everything looks same as the previous HTC, just quicker and smoother.
 
                Speaking of battery , the HTC One M9  comes with  a  2840 mAh capacity battery. With  Talk time of up to 25.4 hours for 2G/ 21.7 hours for 3G and a Standby time of up to 391 hours for 2G/ 402hours for 3G.    

                 Overall the new HTC M9 is all a slightly enhanced product than the One M8. A lot people wanted a new design , but HTC cannot make new designs every yer. The M8 has the best designed  device in the market already , HTC just just made little tweaks and bumped by the specs  TA-DA ! the new HTC One M9. Well the M9 can be viewed as a better M8 and looks like going to last longer.

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SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 AND S6 EDGE

SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 AND S6 EDGE

                                                  


         
                  It's been exactly one year since the showcase of the Samsung Galaxy S5.The S5 was a hit or a miss badge with it.This time Samsung comes from ground up with the next Galaxy. Samsung like it's previous Note unpacked released two Galaxies , the S6 and the S6 Edge.As both the S6 and the S6 Edge are quite similar , so we will discuss it both at the same time. Let's where these two flagships will take Samsung.

                  Samsung kicked off the conference with the design element and mainly keeping focus on it.Samsung kept focus on the design and calling it "Design for purpose". Samsung has designed both the S6 and the S6 edge from the bottom . While looking at it it looks like the traditional design , but when it's held it has a much better felling in the hand than it's predecessors. But the sides are designed with metal and not plastic with metal covering on it, which makes it to have a good grip. The back on the other hand is shiny slippery and supports with Gorilla glass 4.The bottom looks identical to the iPhone 6.The phone is 6.8 mm thin and the bezels are also reduced substantially.Overall the phone feels more better than the usual  Samsung Galaxies.




                   Speaking of the display the both the S6 and the S6 edge sport a 5.1 inch Quad HD Super  AMOLED display. The display has a resolution of 2560 X 1440 with a pixel density of 577 PPI. The display looks like a super white paper and the content on it looks super sharp.The display is super bright and has great contrast and color saturation is top of the line. This is Samsung at it's best.

                    The Samsung Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge both are rocking a 16 MP sensor. It has a f1.9 lens and supporting it the Optical Image Stabilization feature.Which make it super fast and more sharper.The camera performance need to be tested in low light , but looks like it may handle that glitch very well.The camera setting are also quite easy to find and a Lehman user can change it quickly.There is also a shortcut button , you can double tap the home button and the camera opens in just merely 0.7 seconds.

                      The front camera or the selfie camera has a 5MP sensor .There is a IR sensor at the back to help you trigger the shutter which is handy during selfies.The camera  has a wide 120 degree lens for the group selfies.



                       Now lets go to performance , the S6 and the S6 edge both have a 64 bit Octa core processor under the hood. Supporting it is 3GB DDR4 RAM which yields 80% better performance  than DDR3.This time no expandable memory slot which is quite a disappointment ,you have to choose from 32, 64 or 128GB variants.Samsung has introduced the built in wireless charging and IR blaster.The Samsung has really improved in the fingerprint sensor , now just touch and no more swiping.

                   Speaking of the battery the S6 sports a 2550mAh while the S6 Edge sports a 2600mAh  battery. Samsung claims to have improved the fast charging technology , which gives 4 hrs of battery juice with charging of just 10 minutes. But this time Samsung has made the battery not replaceable like the usual.
     
                   Now main reason why people getaway with Samsung is it's TouchWiz layer on Android. TouchWiz is known to make phones slow and is basically "ugly" . Samsung has redone the TouchWiz it looks like the same in spite of it been on Lollipop. But surprisingly the TouchWiz has really improved on it's performance , it feels much smoother and more faster.
 

So What's New in the Edge ?

         
                 Samsung introduced it's Edge in the Note 4 series.The Note 4 Edge had only one Edge but with the S6 there are two edges at both the sides. So it fells more comfortable for the left-hand users too.This time the Edge phone looks a little better than the single Edge design.

                  Now the Edge has the same clock and little tweaks for the Edge display.The new Edge feature is the people's Edge. You can have your recent contacts and just a swipe from right can make them appear . You can call that contact or even email it. And if you get a call from that contacts the edge will light up with specific color assigned to that contact. However you cannot customize more than that , if Samsung allowed to have favourite apps that would be more productive.

                    Both the Edges have a Super AMOLED display and don't feel weird when looking at the main screen with full  video on. However Samsung needs to add  more functionality to the edges  , and we hope we see it in the near future.
         
                
                     
               
  

                          

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