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Geek Culture / Help me decide! Galaxy S3 vs new-fangled Galaxy S4

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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 02:34
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Hi guys,

I'm eligible for a cellular upgrade through my carrier on the 19th! I shall soon own a smartphone again!

However, I am wondering what your opinions are on my two choices I've listed in the topic title. Here's my dilemma; according to various posts/articles online, the Galaxy S4 is not a huge improvement over the S3, and in fact has many flaws. For example...

- "Ghosting" when on a black background (everything smears around when you scroll)
- Lagging and stuttering. This one is a bit surprising, apparently it lags a LOT, more than the S3 ever did.
- Total lock-up. This phone apparently likes to freeze and require a reboot often.

Basically, people have compared the S4 to the iPhone 4S. While it has many new features over the previous model, all in all it's just not a great improvement, and felt like the "Samsung Galaxy S3S".

However, it does have a LOT of enticing new features. Here's the gist:

- Full 1080P HD on a 5" screen. Who wouldn't love that?!
- Awesome gesture operations/functions
- Multiple window functionality
- Improved battery life
- Android 4.2.2 (S3 only has 4.0 to 4.1)

But it's also $200. And the S3 is only $30, and basically the same thing, minus the cool things listed above.

Anybody have any experience with the S4? And if you were an S3 user before upgrading, do you feel it was worth it? Have you had any problems with the S4 at all?

Thanks to any and all for your input!

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Kezzla
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 03:50
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I dont have an s4. I have an s3,if you can handle the lag it is a good phone.

I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.
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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 04:30 Edited at: 9th Jul 2013 06:25
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Man, the word "lag" shows up with Galaxy phones a lot.

Maybe I should look at other models as well.

EDIT: OK, after watching a LOT of YouTube videos and reviews, I will definitely be going with the GS4. From what I could tell, only a small margin of people had issues with the ghosting, and the lagginess is just going to have to be accepted. I don't think I've ever encountered an Android phone that didn't lag (or an iPhone, for that matter ).

Still interested in opinions, though!

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Le Shorte
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 08:33
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I have an S3. No complaints with it besides the fact you can't do group texting (you can send a text to multiple people at once, but when one sends a reply you can't in turn reply to the whole group). But I'm pretty sure that's how all android phones are. When it comes down to it, it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference what phone you have. I'm sure both are fine, but honestly if you can get the GS3 for $170 less than the GS4, then I'd say by all means get the GS3.

Yes, I live in Wisconsin. No, I don't live on a farm.
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Dark Frager
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 09:38
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Quote: "you can handle the lag it is a good phone."


Lag? I have an S3 and since the day I got it (2 months-ish] ago, there has been no lag on it whatsoever. My friend has an S4, but I just guess it's up to what you want. The S3 recently had an update so that it gets all the features of the S4 (obviously software-wise).

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 09:54
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Quote: "I don't think I've ever encountered an Android phone that didn't lag (or an iPhone, for that matter )."


What about a Windows Phone?

I don't get lag on my Lumia 800. Anyhow my uncle has an S3 and he loves it to pieces and a co-worker has the S4 and also loves it, from what I understand the S4 has a better spec (iirc it has one of those fancy Snapdragon CPUs), but of course you're paying a lot more, I personally had no regret selecting an older model, I could have bought a Lumia 820 with WP8, a higher resolution, better specs, more features as opposed too the 800 which can only upgrade to WP7.8. Though at the end of the day it's down to preferences, for example I preferred to pay less.

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 09:59
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Quote: "The S3 recently had an update so that it gets all the features of the S4 (obviously software-wise)."
The day Apple does anything even close to that good will never come sadly...
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Kezzla
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 11:37
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Quote: "What about a Windows Phone? "

my co-worker has a windows phone, we did side by side navigation tests and the windows phone is very responsive. He says it is pretty robust too. He swears by them. I'm pretty impressed with what I have seen.

Quote: "
Lag? I have an S3 and since the day I got it (2 months-ish] ago, there has been no lag on it whatsoever."


I've had mine for about 8 months. It does work well and it has never crashed or crapped out. It just gets a little sluggish and it is annoying when you are trying to do something quickly.
I can tolerate it and like the phone.

The only actual gripe I have with the S3 is its tendency to murder memory cards. Apparently when you buy an S3 you get a lucky dip, you either get one that is fine, or you get one that will kill every single memory card you put into it. I got a memcard killer. The longest one has lasted was less than a week. It has enough onboard memory for my needs but that is something about them.

I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.
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The Zoq2
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 12:22
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If you get tired of the lag and looks of samsungs touchwiz interface, you can always root it and get a clean android version running on it. You will lose some fancy features (the multiple window things for example, but only a hadnfull apps support that anyway I believe)
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Mobiius
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 16:27 Edited at: 9th Jul 2013 16:27
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I had an s3 and loved it. My wife has an s3 and loves it. I have a note 2 now and love it. Literally every one of my friends have sold their crappy iPhones and bought S4s and wonder why they didn't buy Samsung earlier.

My advice, get the s4 if you want a phone now, or wait till September/October for the note 3 if you can wait. (Like I am.)

This is my current project, check it out! [href]forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=204576&b=8[/href]
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Airslide
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 17:56
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Quote: "The day Apple does anything even close to that good will never come sadly..."


The 3-year old iPhone 4 is getting an update to iOS 7. When the next iPhone comes out (presumably this fall) it will be three generations back and still running the latest OS (missing a few things – like AirDrop, since the WiFi radio doesn't support WiFi Direct, and some visuals toned down for the slower processor - but with most of the OS intact).

I don't really see how Samsung keeping a phone one generation back mostly up-to-date is substantially better than what Apple does.


I personally would get the S4 if I was limited to one of the two simply because it is more likely to stay up-to-date going forward, but if the price difference is substantial to you then maybe the S3 is a better pick. I myself would probably be looking at a Windows Phone if I were locked out of the iPhone, although the HTC One looks like a nice handset (in terms of hardware at least).
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The Zoq2
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 18:31
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My galaxy note hasn't recieved an update since last christmas and back then it wasn't even a year old. Android has a lot of advantages but up to date software for every model is not one of them. Luckily you can root them and there are lots of roms which get even the oldest phones to the new android versions
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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 19:38
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Quote: "Android has a lot of advantages but up to date software for every model is not one of them."


So true. Fragmentation is a TERRIBLE problem Android has, and as a result many users suffer from not having the latest and greatest because they either have to 1) root their phone, or 2) wait for an upgrade through their carrier.

Gotta admit, Apple's business model when it comes to the iPhone is very smart. One company that makes the software and hardware results in no fragmentation! Yay!

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Indicium
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Posted: 10th Jul 2013 01:06
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After a year of using android, I can safely say my next phone will be an iPhone.


They see me coding, they hating. http://indi-indicium.blogspot.co.uk/
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 10th Jul 2013 05:28
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I hope you are excited to lose all of the advanced features! I hope you're even more excited about owning a phone locked down by a greedy as hell corporation. Have fun with that.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 10th Jul 2013 10:20
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Quote: "my co-worker has a windows phone, we did side by side navigation tests and the windows phone is very responsive. He says it is pretty robust too. He swears by them. I'm pretty impressed with what I have seen.
"


IMO they're decent phones. I think out of the main mobile OS's Windows Phone is the underdog, doesn't face as much love but is actually very good. But Android and iOS seem to get most of the love and it means more apps and games, which is a shame. Still, I didn't buy a Windows Phone for the games (there are good games for it).

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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 05:59 Edited at: 11th Jul 2013 06:01
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Windows Phones are OK, but I definitely prefer Android or iOS. However, my carrier doesn't have Apple products (though that is apparently changing by the end of the year, according to massive rumors), so I pretty much have to pick Android. Which isn't a bad thing, because the GS4 looks like a FANTASTIC phone!

EDIT: @DBD79:

iOS has many advanced features and is plagued by less problems (such as fragmentation) than Android. Just so you know.

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 06:08
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That is true, I will admit. And it's more hassle free I'd too agree. But things like a simple task manager and file browser? You don't get those in iOS.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 10:10
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Quote: "Windows Phones are OK, but I definitely prefer Android or iOS. "


Of course. It's always down to personal preferences. Whilst I love my iPod Touch, I actually ended up prefering Windows Phone over Android and iOS. To each his own of course.

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The Zoq2
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 11:21
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Personaly I think android is great, it's the perfect OS for my tastes, but I also don't want to see it fully take over the market like windows did. Everyone is using windows because someone else does or because they are used to it, few people actually use it because it offers better features than Linux or MAC and I realy hope the same thing won't happen in the mobile market.
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Airslide
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 18:44
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Quote: "But things like a simple task manager and file browser? You don't get those in iOS."


There's a multitasking panel in iOS that allows you to close apps (which is rarely necessary, as the OS manages sleep state and termination). And file browsers are a relic IMO - most people don't need access to a complex, hierarchical file system that they tend to lose things in and don't fully understand.

I personally like to think that "advanced features" means the phone does more for me without fiddling around with settings and menus, but maybe that's an unpopular mentality.

Quote: "Whilst I love my iPod Touch, I actually ended up prefering Windows Phone over Android and iOS. To each his own of course."


I was *this* close to owning a Windows Phone at one point, which probably would have meant I'd have a Surface instead of an iPad and an Ultrabook instead of a MacBook Pro. I still think Windows Phone is a nice operating system, at least from playing with it briefly, although I don't have the same sentiment about Windows 8.
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Dar13
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 19:19
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Quote: "There's a multitasking panel in iOS that allows you to close apps (which is rarely necessary, as the OS manages sleep state and termination)."

It's necessary if you would like a decent battery life, at least on the 4/4S(not sure about the 5 though it's probably similar unless one of the new updates radically changed how sleeping apps are handled). That's the one thing I tell people to do to increase battery life and it's consistently worked. Of course, this is all just my personal experience with iDevices and Android suffers from the same thing(background or sleeping applications draining battery).

I have an S3 and I'm considering rooting it to see just how much slower the custom Samsung ROM compared to Cyanogen or a stock ROM.

I must say that developing for Android is a breeze as long as you're not doing anything that requires a lot of graphics(i.e. games and such).

WTLD has been put on indefinite hold.
A new project is under initial development now.
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 21:58
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Quote: "There's a multitasking panel in iOS that allows you to close apps (which is rarely necessary, as the OS manages sleep state and termination). And file browsers are a relic IMO - most people don't need access to a complex, hierarchical file system that they tend to lose things in and don't fully understand."
Aaaah right, I forgot about the panel thingy. Now let's just pretend only people who need file browsers exist.

Developing!!!! Ahah! I think Android is better in that department.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 22:03
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But but but but, Androids betray people, just ask Ripley!

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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 12th Jul 2013 01:02
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Android development is definitely better, as well as cheaper compared to developing for iOS, since for that you need Apple hardware to compile it on.

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 12th Jul 2013 01:04
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You could argue that iOS is really nice from a platform consistency perspective.
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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 12th Jul 2013 04:11
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True, in that respect I suppose iOS is better for development, but in general Android's just a bit friendlier. It's Java, after all.

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 12th Jul 2013 04:31
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That's true and why I like Android. Objective C seems interesting... Also, publishing on Android seems to be a hell of a lot easier.
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The Zoq2
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Posted: 12th Jul 2013 20:25 Edited at: 12th Jul 2013 20:27
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Publishing on android is a lot easier than iOS. You don't need any special hardware (I actually have a finished and published app on the play stor which I developed entirely on androids). There also isn't any tricky aproval process and apps can be installed from anywhere.

That said, android has some issues, mainly the fragmentation. It also isn't as user friendly for new "smartphone" users (based on my observations). But as with most software, more usability, means fewer features. I prefer the features.

The lack of aproval processes also makes the market overflooded with bad apps and getting noticed is even harder than on iOS (I think). But there have been some bad apps on iOS aswell even with the approval process.
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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 13th Jul 2013 06:37
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Turns out I was able to upgrade today!

I got the Galaxy S4, and it's just as glorious as everyone's made it out to be. Definitely worth the money!

I've not had any of the aforementioned issues, although I can't figure out some of the air gesture stuff. Perhaps YouTube will help me there!

Anyway, y'all should get one. They're epic!

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DevilLiger
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Posted: 13th Jul 2013 12:02
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I'm glad you went with the S4.
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Mobiius
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Posted: 14th Jul 2013 01:14
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You wont be disapointed!

This is my current project, check it out! [href]forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=204576&b=8[/href]
This is my website, check it out! [href]http:\\www.TeamDefiant.co.uk[/href]
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 14th Jul 2013 15:33
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Glad you're enjoying your choice Yoda.


On the talking point of Androids, I was umming and ahhing at the idea of getting an Android Tablet, I've looked at both the Nexus 10 and Nexus 7 and comparing specs I am kinda taken aback by the technical specifications they're putting into these devices.

Some specs for Nexus 10 - 2560x1600. 2gb RAM, Dual-Core CPU, Quad-Core GPU.

I didn't realise the tech in small devices had progressed so much. It's definitely enticing me. The Nexus 7 has lesser specs, but is better value, but the 10 seems shiny shiny.

Looks like I'm in a similar predicament to Yoda a moment ago. Prolly won't think about it until after my holiday as I'll prolly be skint.

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Airslide
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Posted: 14th Jul 2013 23:51
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Quote: "That's true and why I like Android. Objective C seems interesting... Also, publishing on Android seems to be a hell of a lot easier."


I haven't done much of any Android development - I tinkered for awhile while I had my Droid Incredible but didn't do anything serious.

Objective-C is utterly fantastic if you "get" it. You have to understand what it is doing under the hood to fully appreciate it and utilize its potential - there's a lot you can do with Objective-C that is either difficult or asinine in other languages.

I haven't gotten to the publishing part of iOS development, but so far I enjoy developing for iOS a lot more than I did for Windows.
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