how do you get college student discounts when buying a notebook pc?
im trying to buy a notebook pc from probably hp. how do i get a student discount and how much would i get? any1 know?
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Posts Tagged ‘Buying’
how do you get college student discounts when buying a notebook pc?im trying to buy a notebook pc from probably hp. how do i get a student discount and how much would i get? any1 know? Any other option instead of buying an acer aspire as3050 1594 notebook for similar price???Tags : 1594, Acer, as3050, Aspire, Buying, Instead, Notebook, option, Price, similar I’m thinking about buying a Acer Aspire notebook. Does anyone know about the pros and cons of this notebook?Acer Aspire 15.4″ Widescreen Notebook PC (5100-5674) Tags : About, Acer, Anyone, Aspire, Buying, Cons, Know, Notebook, Pros, Thinking, This How risky is buying commercially available refurbished computers?Considering buying a refurbished Hewlett Packard Pavilion Slimline computer. Beyond cosmetic considerations, do refurbished computers come with the same waranty as new? Do they appear to have similar lifespans? Are they a good deal or am I begging for trouble? Tags : available, Buying, commercially, Computers, Refurbished, risky Things to Consider Before Buying a LaptopThe recent scenario clearly shows that the usage of mobile computing has become the status symbol and important need for most of the peoples and of course youngsters. Laptops are on high demand at the place of desktop due to the light weight and ultra portable quality of laptop. It is also true that desktops can perform much better than laptops if we compare the performance to the pricing between desktop and laptop. At the cost of best laptop we can easily get awesome desktop but it can’t be stay always with you. And according to present day life most people need laptop to fulfill their works whether it related to business, profession, teaching or studying. If you are looking for the laptop that fulfills your average computing desire then you can get it at the price of Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000. Laptops like Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell inspirion or studio, Acer aspire series; HP pavilion Dv 5 series are some best example which may be available at the mentioned cost. The configuration which really matters in performance is the processor of laptop, memory of capacity which upon the size of RAM and storage capacility which depends upon the size of hard drive. If you expect the fast performance from your laptop then it must contain at least 1 gigabyte of Ram and 160 GB hard of hard drive. Another factor which also becomes the major cause for performance of laptop is laptop’s processor. The processing speed of laptop must be more than 2.0 GHz which is only possible Intel Pentium 4 processor, Intel core 2 Duo processor, Intel dual core processor, AMD processor and other latest processor. But if you think that you only need a laptop for the basic computing and internet browsing and email then there no any use of buying those expensive laptop. The reason for this is that there are many other laptops in India are available which can fulfills those basic computing demands. The name those laptops are mini laptops in India and they are widely available in Indian market with a very exiting and inexpensive price. Buying a Laptop? Checkout These Basic InfoLaptops are small mobile computers that are light and portable enough to fit on your lap. They weigh usually in the range of 4 to10 pounds depending on the materials, size and other factors. When compared to the PC Desktop, the portable laptops are different on the basis of peripherals and weight. A typical portable laptop computer has a weight of four to five pounds. Some bulkier laptops range in their weights from six to seven pounds as they may have a CDROM/DVDROM or a floppy drive.
Laptops operate typically on a single battery and function similar to their desktop counterparts as the basic components of laptops and desktop computers are same. Laptops have liquid crystal (LCD) displays and uses different RAM modules. A portable notebook or laptop is provided with a pointing stick or touch pad and built-in keyboard as an input device. You can also plug in an external mouse. The power consumption and noise are less compared to a desktop. Unlike desktops, laptops can be run on batteries also.
Osborne 1 was the first available portable computer in 1981 for commercial use. This portable computer weighed about 24 pounds and was available at a price of about 1800 dollars. Later IBM launched ‘Kaypro’ in 2000, which had a LCD display of 25 lines and 80 characters, a removable keyboard and a floppy drive of 3.5 inches.
The following are the different types of laptops. Ultra-Mobile PCs are small in size and portable. Ultra portables have LCD screen of about 12 inches or less, weighing about 3 to 5 pounds. Thin-and-light Laptops typically weigh about 4 to 6 pounds and have a screen size of 12 to 14 inches. Mainstream Laptops have a screen size of about 14.1 inches to 15.4 inches and weigh about 5 to 7 pounds.
Laptops have proven to be useful in many ways. While on the move, from students to business executives, software professionals and housewives have found laptops to be beneficial. Laptops are available across a wide range of brands, models, sizes, styles and prices. As the innovative laptops have increased in demand, leading notebook manufacturers such as IBM, HP-Compaq, Dell, Acer, Sony and Toshiba are offering sophisticated laptops with innovative features and designs. As the demand for laptops has increased, you should be careful when choosing a laptop. You can look for reviews on laptops from online sources and the manufacturers also provide the information on the various models available with details of prices, specifications and ratings on their websites.
Laptops have to be chosen based on the features such as Portability, Price, Screen size, speed, memory, upgradeability, hard drives, batteries and hardware. You can go for a laptop with a better screen resolution of 1024 x 768 XGA or 1280 x 1024 SXGA. For getting best performance in terms of speed, laptops can be chosen having memory capacities of 128MB, 256MB, 512MB or 1GB of RAM, depending on your use of application. For occasional typing and web surfing, a laptop with a memory of 256 MB RAM is sufficient. You need to also check for lithium batteries as they offer longer life. Other peripherals such as standard floppy or DVD drives are required. Though laptops are expensive than desktop computers for similar configurations, the price tag is not big when compared to the functions they offer. Netbook buying guideYou have probably heard about the new netbook revolution of small, affordably priced lightweight laptops with small screens and long battery lives. The only problem is with the market continuously flooded with new models how do you decide which one to buy? First of all you want to look at which aspect is more important to you: battery life, processing power, or price. Depending on which one of these is more important there are several correct answers. If battery life is very important then you will want to go with something like an Asus Eee PC 1005HA. This is the number 1 best-selling netbook right now and also has a 10.5 hour battery life. And with a price around $330 with this netbook you can’t go wrong. If processing power is more important to you then you’ll want to look at the Acer Aspire 1410 dual core. This netbook runs around $399 but has a fast dual core processor and a larger 11.6″ screen as well. If price is the most important aspect then you can find many netbooks t hat are refurbished by the manufacturers for well under $300. The Asus Eee PC 1005HA I found the other day in a remanufacturered model for $239. There is nothing wrong with these and they evern come with a 90 day guarantee if you get them from Amazon. As you can see there are many different netbook choices out there, and once you find out what is the most important part of having a new netbook then this will make your choice much easier. Buying a Digital Piano for the Aspiring Pianist in Your FamilyThe piano is a great instrument to learn and an excellent one for the beginning musician. A variety of musical styles can be played on the piano including rock, jazz, show tunes, blues, and classical music. This is a great way to expose your aspiring pianist to a variety of musical styles and also enhance their creativity and musical know-how. Instead of purchasing a bulky traditional piano, why not opt for its space saving counterpart- the digital piano? A digital piano can be purchased to have the feel of a regular piano key but not all of them come this way. You can find full piano size digital pianos or smaller varieties if your aspiring pianist is just a beginner. Here is some additional information that will help you make a digital piano purchase. Why Purchase a Digital Piano? While you can find digital pianos that are quite expensive, most are quite affordable. However, a new acoustic piano can cost thousands of dollars depending on the style. Digital pianos cost much less in general than acoustic pianos. There are other reasons why digital pianos are a great purchase. They save space because they take up less room. This make sit ideal for smaller homes or to put in your childs room. Also, they inspire creativity and enhance the learning experience because a lot also come with drum beats and different settings to mimic different instruments and styles. Both the space saving aspect and the money saving aspect are huge considerations especially if your aspiring pianist is a complete beginner. It would be really upsetting if you purchased an acoustic piano only to realize that your child actually did not like it. If you purchase a digital piano, then you did not waste a lot of money. Making Decisions The first thing you should do when purchasing a digital piano is to do some research. Find out what is out there. Visit a few music stores to try some of them out. Read reviews. Talk to other musicians. Once you narrow down your choices, you can do some price matching and comparing. Before you are ready to make your purchase, make sure you test it again. Testing an instrument a few times on different days is a good idea because you could have different impressions of it. And, if you decide to purchase it online, it is also a good idea to go to a store before you make the purchase. When it comes time to buy the digital piano, you will know that you prepared for it as best as possible. Netbook Buying TipsNetbook Structure: Most netbooks sport small LCD screens, 8.9-inches to 10-inches, versus an average of 15.4-inches for normal laptops. Netbooks generally weigh around 2.2 lbs (1 kilogram) each, far lighter than most laptops, and carry batteries that last up to 8 hours. They cost between US$199 and $799 and lot more benefits. Here are useful tips for your first netbook: 1. Make sure you want a netbook and not a full-fledged laptop computer. What do you want to use this netbook for? Do you want a lightweight device for easy Internet access? Or are you really looking for a device to carry around that you can edit video on, play games, or use for other applications that test the computing limits of a netbook? Don’t buy a netbook if you’re really looking for a laptop, it would be a mistake. To ensure longer battery life, some key components on a netbook, such as the microprocessor, are less powerful than common laptops. That’s why they’re good for surfing the Internet, sending e-mails, or doing homework. 2. Buy a netbook with an 8.9-inch screen or larger. Tested an Eee PC with a 7-inch screen, the Surf, and found screen too small. I was not able to view an entire Web page on the cramped display. On a screen that small, you have to scroll left and right as well as up and down to see an entire Web page. Scrolling up and down is normal, but left and right was annoying. That’s less of a problem on the slightly larger-sized screens and, in the 8.9-inch screen size, the weight and size of the netbook is nearly the same as devices with 7-inch screens. The 10-inch screens are even better, yet add size and weight to the netbook. 3. Make sure you get a 6-cell battery for your netbook, although you may have to pay $50 more and the device will weigh more. Most companies started out offering netbooks with 3-cell batteries as the standard, but that doesn’t offer a whole lot of run time, just 2-3 hours. A 6-cell battery doubles that, and in some devices designed around a 6-cell battery, such as Asustek Computer’s Eee PC 901, you can get up to 8 hours. Another benefit of the larger battery is that it props up the back of the device, putting it on a slight angle that makes typing easier. Keyboards on netbooks are smaller than normal keyboards, and comfortable typing was one area I was not willing to compromise on. 4. Try out the keyboard and make sure it’s right for you. None of the devices, I tested had a better typing pad than Intel’s ClassMate PC, which has a keyboard far smaller than the Eee PC 1000. Keys on the ClassMate PC’s keyboard are raised and there is a lot of space between them, making them easy to find by touch. I really liked the keyboards on Acer’s Aspire One, Hewlett-Packard’s Mini 1000 and Everex’s CloudBook Max, but the best keyboard was on HP’s Mini-Note. 5. Software: See what comes preinstalled and consider trying the Linux OS. There are two lessons on software. First, some vendors have skimped on including software in their netbooks on the pretense that users can download a lot of free software on the Internet. That’s true, but it’s a bad excuse for not going the extra distance for customer satisfaction. Who wants to spend time downloading when many netbook makers have added lots of software so users can play with their new netbook right away? Second, it may be time to the give the Linux OS a try. Most of the netbooks I tested with Linux booted up far faster than Windows XP or Windows Vista. Which reminds me, don’t buy a netbook with Vista — it’s just too slow. There are also free Linux-based word processing programs and spreadsheets available on the Internet such as Open Office, Sun’s inexpensive StarOffice and Web-based software such as Google Apps. Google also offers a nice package of free software, Google Pack, which includes several popular applications such as Adobe Reader, Skype, RealPlayer for music and video, Norton Security Scan and two browsers, Google’s Chrome and Firefox. 6. Price: if it costs more than $500, start looking at a regular notebook computer. Companies have started promoting a wide range of netbooks at ever higher prices, but once you pass $500, netbooks start to compete with laptops, and a laptop will almost always give you more value for your money. Laptop computers have far more powerful microprocessors and other components than netbooks, and sport DVD drives. BTW, there are no DVD drives on netbooks. 7. Look around at what’s available. Many new netbooks have come out. There are a lot of look-alikes since newcomers have copied what the pioneers found to be the most popular configurations. The net effect is to put more good devices out there from a number of competitors. You may be able to pick up a nice machine for a very low price. In any case, the 10-inch screen devices are a little bigger and more expensive than what I was looking for. Size is important to consider in terms of weight. Ten inch screens, hard disk drives (HDDs) and 6-cell batteries add a lot of extra weight to a netbook. Several netbooks are now on sale with built-in 3G modules and mobile phone service providers are offering them with 3G (third generation telecommunications) contracts, so people can access the Internet from anywhere on their mobile phone network. People can also buy add-on 3G or WiMax cards for any netbook. Basic Knowledge For Buying Laptops OnlineLaptops have been a hot a search on internet for so many years. Even these days in third world countries, people are shifting to laptops from conventional desktop computers. Latest technologies by laptop companies like HP, Acer, Sony vaio, Toshiba and DELL is being used in these laptops. Every day new improvements are being made and new series of laptops are being introduced depending on the features and specifications. When it comes to students, there needs have forced them to use high quality computers and when it is up to portability, laptops have been best choice for students. Many laptop companies are producing a special series of laptops with a focus on the needs of students and are naming their special series as student computers or student laptops. As compared to this yield of usage business purposes of laptops is always on its apex. Especially businessmen demands laptops with high quality specifications. Many businessmen love to go to these laptop companies websites to purchase a laptop online. This facility to buy laptops online helps business personal to a larger extent for getting highly specific business notebooks of their required specs. Another thing which has brought people to online shopping of laptops is the ease of regular updated information to clients by top laptop vendors like dell and HP. In Pakistan many people love to have HP pavilion laptops. HP has maintained its top quality in its all laptop series as well as laptop accessories. Especially when it comes to hp business notebooks people prefer it over acer laptops. Now with the introduction of core 2 due laptops major trend of laptops in Pakistan has changed. As compared to Intel centrino laptop and Intel celeron laptop, this technology has developed for those people who love to have speed and efficiency in their works. Especially in acer aspire laptops this new technology of core 2 due has drawn people attention for better specs and most importantly better working capabilities in term of this laptop battery timing. Another big name in this race is sony vaio laptops. Being the more elegant looking notebooks they have been hot selling in their periods but when it has started into a race of specifications especially by dell thinkpad, people are more focused on features for working rater than smart looking. There has been a trend of asking friends or seniors which laptop is good to buy for me without inspecting much detail about its specifications. But now with the ease of online shopping people can get notebooks, laptops and all other accessories online. In Pakistan ipiles.com offers the cheap laptops as compared to other online shopping malls after making a detailed comparison of laptop prices. Acer Notebook Buying Criteria & Recommendations – Cape TownBuying a notebook computer is a serious decision and should be done after proper needs analysis, research and consultation. Herewith a synopsis of five criteria to assist new buyers to make an informed decision to achieve maximum return on their investment.
Price
To buy the cheapest notebook computer available on the market today may not necessarily meet individual performance / connectivity / mobility / warranty requirements over the primary lifespan of the product. Notebook pricing generally range from R4 800 to approximately R20 000 and it’s not to say your choice should be at the extreme ends of this pricing continuum. A notebook should be acquired to fulfill a specific personal / business requirement and a three year ownership period should be considered to provide the required Return On Investment.
Recommendation: The Acer notebooks in the R5 500- R7 500 range will be a solid investment for the serious student and / or Microsoft Office user. Backed with the standard one year warranty or extended three year on-site Acer Advantage Fetch, Repair and Return warranty these products will want to “work” for you long past your daily bedtime.
Performance
Notebooks today are as powerful as most desktop models and will provide an excellent mobile and integrated platform for an array of high intensity Central Processing Unit (CPU), graphic and memory applications. Acer notebooks will either be configured in an Intel Celeron or Intel Centrino solution. The Intel Celeron CPU product is for entry-level and value users, whereas the Intel Centrino solution will provide for higher level CPU and graphic applications.
Recommendation: Acer notebooks configured with the Celeron CPU is an excellent choice for students and Microsoft Office users. The Centrino-based TravelMates will provide superior performance with a choice of optional graphic / rendering possibilities. Be prepared to pay a premium for high-end graphic / gaming functionality. In most instances the Celeron-based notebooks will be the intelligent choice for students and Microsoft Office users.
Connectivity
Today most notebooks are configured with state of the art connectivity options. It is important that your notebook is configured with your current and future requirements in check. Standard on all Acer notebooks will be Wireless Networking / LAN / Modem / USB ports. Other options to consider will be Bluetooth and embedded 3G HSDPA.
Recommendation: To buy as much technology as you possibly can – stretch your budget a little for this. Bluetooth should be a serious consideration as it allows for excellent synchronization with most cellular phones. For 3G HSDPA your Cellular Service Provider will either provide an Express card or USB modem. It will work on all Acer Extensa and TravelMate notebooks.
Mobility
This is one of the main reasons for acquiring a notebook. Generally the Acer notebooks will vary from about 2.5 – 3.5 Kg in weight. In notebook terms the latter is heavy. Decide on your normal day at the office / work. How often do you need to lug the computer between meetings / clients / home and office? The lighter notebooks are not necessarily the cheapest as they have smaller technologies embedded to keep the weight down.
Recommendation: Buying a notebook with a bigger LCD screen than 15.4″ will make the notebook not just heavier but will also drain the battery much faster. 15.4″ is more than adequate and currently the main stream standard. Consider a 12″ or 14″ for ultra-portability.
Warranty:
All Acer notebooks come standard with a 1-year warranty which for R995-00 can be upgraded to a 3-year on site warranty.
Recommendation: Seriously consider the 3-year warranty if you can afford it. Notebook parts can be very expensive to replace once the product is out of the initial warranty.
Copyright Vernon Chalmers © July 2008
http://www.vernonchalmers.com Tags : Acer, Buying, Cape, Criteria, Notebook, Recommendations, Town Buying an Acer LaptopLaptop computers, are, however, on the whole, still more expensive, and less powerful, than desktop computers. It is wise, therefore, to look at some of the key features, in the light of your own requirements, in order to make an informed purchasing decision. Key Considerations
Processor speeds are measured in Mega- (one million), or Giga- (one thousand million), Hertz, often shortened to “MHz” and “GHz”, and these figures can be useful for comparing like with like. It would be fair to say that for most everyday computing tasks, such as word processing, Internet browsing or email, even a fairly low specification, modern laptop will cope admirably well. More intensive applications, including computer video games, may benefit from more processing power, but a 1GHz processor is likely to be adequate even for these. In fact, laptop processors with clock speeds up to 3GHz are available. The Acer EX4220 Laptop, for example, features an Intel Celeron M530 processor, with a clock speed of 1.73GHz.
Another important consideration with regard to laptop performance, of course, is the amount of memory – often referred to as “Random Access Memory”, or “RAM” – that it contains. RAM is where running applications, and data, are stored, and if a laptop has too little, processes will need to be constantly “swapped” in, and out, resulting in poor performance. It is a good idea, therefore, to check the recommended requirements for the operating system (Windows, Mac, etc), and software applications that you intend to use with a laptop.
Most laptops provide an input device, such as a “trackpoint”, or “trackpad”, as an alternative to a standard computer mouse. These devices can have varying degrees of sensitivity, and accuracy, and may take some getting used to. Most laptops do, however, include the facility to attach a standard mouse, and, indeed, a standard keyboard, if you find the laptop keyboard too small, or too “fiddly”. About Acer
Acer, with its headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, was originally established in 1976, under the name “Multitech”. In the intervening 30, or so, years, the company has grown out of all recognition, and is now a global leader in the manufacture of high quality, innovative computer products. Acer laptops are the best selling brand in Western Europe, and are renowned for their build quality, and competitive pricing. Conclusion
If you are a business traveller, or, indeed, anyone else, who needs access to complete computing resources whilst on the move, the chances are that a laptop computer is the right choice for you. You will, however, probably need to compromise between a screen that is large enough to be viewed comfortably, for an hour, or two, at a time, and the overall physical size, and weight, of a laptop. Most laptops are powerful enough to cope admirably with most standard applications, but, if performance is your main concern, remember to leave room in your budget for extra processing power, and memory. Buying Guide to Acer LaptopsAcer laptops – with their slick looks and a host of user-friendly features – are making their presence felt among tech-savvy users. Many people are making a beeline for these innovative gadgets and bringing in an appreciable difference in their lives – both personal as well as professional. Potential users are making the most of attractive deals on these laptops to acquire the same at industry leading costs. Whether it is the Acer aspires or the Acer Ferrari, laptops from Acer is used in large numbers in different parts of the world.
The great news pertaining to these laptops is that the users are assured of total value for the money spent. As a matter of fact, one can find attractive deals on notebooks from Acer. This means that an end user can stick to his budget without compromising on the quality and the features that he would want in his laptop. More often than not, users would be able to find Acer laptops within their budgetary constraints.
However, before going in for any of these deals, a user needs to identify his specific needs. He can then select an Acer laptop with features and specifications that take care of the same. Certain other key factors need to be considered. These include the speed of processors, screen size, battery life and weight, among others.
Some of these laptops are meant for avid gaming. These laptops come with large screens. The processor speeds are also quite high – which is very much required to enjoy the specific formats of these games. More exhaustive memory and video cards are the two other key features of laptops that are designed for this specific purpose. Some people may want a laptop that they can carry around from one place to another. These people are better off in giving more emphasis to the weight.
While purchasing Acer laptops, a potential user also needs to know more about the warranty options that are available with the same. One cannot deny that these laptops are highly reliable. However, the support extended by the company as warranty is more than welcome. Acer Notebook Buying Criteria & Recommendations – Cape TownBuying a notebook computer is a serious decision and should be done after proper needs analysis, research and consultation. Herewith a synopsis of five criteria to assist new buyers to make an informed decision to achieve maximum return on their investment.
Price
To buy the cheapest notebook computer available on the market today may not necessarily meet individual performance / connectivity / mobility / warranty requirements over the primary lifespan of the product. Notebook pricing generally range from R4 800 to approximately R20 000 and it’s not to say your choice should be at the extreme ends of this pricing continuum. A notebook should be acquired to fulfill a specific personal / business requirement and a three year ownership period should be considered to provide the required Return On Investment.
Recommendation: The Acer notebooks in the R5 500- R7 500 range will be a solid investment for the serious student and / or Microsoft Office user. Backed with the standard one year warranty or extended three year on-site Acer Advantage Fetch, Repair and Return warranty these products will want to “work” for you long past your daily bedtime.
Performance
Notebooks today are as powerful as most desktop models and will provide an excellent mobile and integrated platform for an array of high intensity Central Processing Unit (CPU), graphic and memory applications. Acer notebooks will either be configured in an Intel Celeron or Intel Centrino solution. The Intel Celeron CPU product is for entry-level and value users, whereas the Intel Centrino solution will provide for higher level CPU and graphic applications.
Recommendation: Acer notebooks configured with the Celeron CPU is an excellent choice for students and Microsoft Office users. The Centrino-based TravelMates will provide superior performance with a choice of optional graphic / rendering possibilities. Be prepared to pay a premium for high-end graphic / gaming functionality. In most instances the Celeron-based notebooks will be the intelligent choice for students and Microsoft Office users.
Connectivity
Today most notebooks are configured with state of the art connectivity options. It is important that your notebook is configured with your current and future requirements in check. Standard on all Acer notebooks will be Wireless Networking / LAN / Modem / USB ports. Other options to consider will be Bluetooth and embedded 3G HSDPA.
Recommendation: To buy as much technology as you possibly can – stretch your budget a little for this. Bluetooth should be a serious consideration as it allows for excellent synchronization with most cellular phones. For 3G HSDPA your Cellular Service Provider will either provide an Express card or USB modem. It will work on all Acer Extensa and TravelMate notebooks.
Mobility
This is one of the main reasons for acquiring a notebook. Generally the Acer notebooks will vary from about 2.5 – 3.5 Kg in weight. In notebook terms the latter is heavy. Decide on your normal day at the office / work. How often do you need to lug the computer between meetings / clients / home and office? The lighter notebooks are not necessarily the cheapest as they have smaller technologies embedded to keep the weight down.
Recommendation: Buying a notebook with a bigger LCD screen than 15.4″ will make the notebook not just heavier but will also drain the battery much faster. 15.4″ is more than adequate and currently the main stream standard. Consider a 12″ or 14″ for ultra-portability.
Warranty:
All Acer notebooks come standard with a 1-year warranty which for R995-00 can be upgraded to a 3-year on site warranty.
Recommendation: Seriously consider the 3-year warranty if you can afford it. Notebook parts can be very expensive to replace once the product is out of the initial warranty.
Copyright Vernon Chalmers © July 2008
http://www.vernonchalmers.com Tags : Acer, Buying, Cape, Criteria, Notebook, Recommendations, Town |
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