MWC 2016: HP Elite X3 with support for Windows 10 Mobile and MS Continuum OS officially introduced
Welcome readers of the blog iCover ! Another challenge to our usual understanding of the capabilities of modern mobile ecosystems was attempted by engineers at HP. This challenge was the flagship HP Elite X3 running Windows 10 Mobile with MS Continuum support, announced as part of MWC 2016. How convincing was the presentation of the IT giant and what prospects for the proposed new products we propose to discuss in our today's publication.
HP Elite X3 is an effective and comprehensive business-oriented solution for the global corporate market. This is how the official representatives of HP have positioned their device at the presentation. And although the proposed solution eliminates the increased user requirements for multimedia capabilities, at the same time, it really allows in many cases to completely dispense with a traditional laptop or PC. The successful solution of the overwhelming majority of office tasks, according to HP, is also possible with the help of a phablet working in a single complex with MS Continuum and accessories, announced during the same presentation.
As representatives of HP noted, in the light of current trends, using the Internet, users en masse are increasingly shifting from computers and laptops to smartphones and phablets. In this case, miniature screens of compact devices in most cases quite well cope with the task of providing the user with the necessary information, but limit the process of creating the desired content. Part of the problem is solved through cloud technologies, but, according to HP, it is much more efficient to use for processing data arrays just one device that has taken on the mission of the center of the user ecosystem.
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Based on the concept according to which HP is positioning a new product, the proposed solution will allow forgetting at least three topical issues for corporate users:
1. According to statistics, to solve operational problems at work, an employee of the company today uses, on average, three different devices. Most often it is a smartphone, laptop and tablet. When using devices for their intended purpose, they will most likely need to be synchronized, not to mention auxiliary, but necessary accessories, such as trivial chargers. Often, all this tangible in weight and dimensions kit, guided by various considerations, office staff have to carry.
2. The more devices involved in building a corporate network, the higher the vulnerability of the latter, the more complex and expensive the algorithms for protecting confidential data and maintaining an adequate level of security of the production infrastructure.
3. An employee who uses desktop corporate applications, most of which are optimized for mouse and keyboard, encounters problems when forced to use them on relatively small touch screens of smartphones.
On the other hand, literally in the last few years, the possibilities of mobile technologies and the speed of network connections have increased significantly. A new generation of smartphones in many key parameters are increasingly reducing the distance to existing average desktop solutions. The outlined problems, on the one hand, and the outlined progress, on the other, created the prerequisites for finding fundamentally new solutions. This decision, according to HP, will be presented recently Elite X3.
President and CEO HP Inc. Dion Weisler did not particularly stint on pathos, he said that HP Elite X3 is nothing but “... a revolution unprecedented in scale for the global mobile device market. ... We offer a truly innovative computing platform that provides mobility without sacrificing performance. The technological capabilities of HP and our partners allowed us to set a new industry standard and dispel the myth that effective work is possible only in an office chair, ”he declares.
Let's see what the new product announced by HP is.
The HP Elite X3 is a fairly large Windows 10 Mobile phone running with the support of the Continuum function, which allows you to connect a monitor, an external keyboard and a mouse through a small dock and use them in standard mode. That is, we have before us the elder brother of the “declassed” Microsoft Lumia 950 XL with improved technical characteristics.
Specifications
• Class: flagship phablet
• Form Factor: candy bar
• Body materials: plastic and aluminum
• Operating System: Windows 10 Mobile
• Network: GSM / EDGE, WCDMA, LTE supported
• Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• RAM: 4 GB LPDDR4
• Memory for data storage: 64 GB
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a / b / g / n / ac), dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0 (A2DP, EDR), Type-C connector for charge / sync, 3.5 mm for headset
• Screen: 5.96 '', capacitive, QHD with automatic adjustment of the backlight level and oleophobic coating, resolution 1140x2560,
• Navigation: GPS / Glonass (support A-GPS)
• Sensors: accelerometer, position sensor in space, gyroscope, light sensor
• Battery: non-removable, Li-ion, capacity 4100 mAh
• Cameras: main 16 MP, front 8MP
• Price: from $ 600
The dimensions of the “shovels” are really impressive, and if you can still hold the phablet with one hand, it is most likely that it will be difficult to control the thumb of the same size.
The model's Snapdragon 820 chip, a powerful Qualcomm single-chip system made in accordance with the 14Nm technical process, is responsible for the intellectual abilities of the model. Problems with overheating characteristic of the version of Snapdragon 810, according to the representatives of HP, who conducted the presentation is not marked.
For the autonomy of the device meets the non-removable Li-ion battery with a capacity of 4100 mAh, which should be enough for at least a day of work, even if actively used. Supports Qi wireless charging. The amount of internal storage was 64 GB, and the RAM has nearly 4 GB.
Bang & Olufsen’s built-in audio system is equipped with two front speakers and active noise cancellation on multiple directional microphones. This means that even if the user of HP Elite X3 is, for example, in a rather noisy room, his interlocutor at the end of the “wire” has every chance to hear a sufficiently distinct voice and meaningful speech.
The 8MP front-facing camera can play its positive role during a long video conferencing session, looking at the interlocutor from his smartphone, installed in the desktop dock of the HP Desk Dock in portrait position.
Restrict access to confidential information allows the scanner on the back of the case and the camera to scan the retina, on the frontal surface of the phablet. The last option can be very useful on a winter street, when due to gloves, the operational unlocking of the device is problematic. Other useful security options are supported - FIPS 140.2 encryption, Bitlocker, Secure Boot, fTPM 2.0, the ability to encrypt images, etc.
Reliable mechanical protection device provides support for the military standard MIL-STD 810G (the same as the recently announced CAT S60) and IP67, Gorilla Glass 4. The presentation assured that the device can be lowered under the water to a depth of 1 m time to half an hour and drop from a height of 1.3 meters to a hard surface.
Taking into account the characteristics presented by the manufacturer, we conclude that the giant HP Elite X3 in terms of its technical characteristics will be able to quite successfully compete with the new flagships LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7.
The start of sales of HP Elite X3 in the global market, the company plans for the summer of 2016. According to representatives of HP, corporate customers, thus, will have the opportunity to accept and evaluate the prospects of the concept of a multifunctional computing device, implemented in Elite X3. Most likely, in fact, we are talking about a timeout taken by HP to popularize the capabilities of Microsoft’s not so familiar Continuum technology. It is on MS Continuum, and not on the hardware merits of the new flagship HP puts the main emphasis.
If it is quite simple, the technology allows smartpad (phablet), using the interface of the Continuum, to connect to the dock and work with an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. In the first device with Continuum support, the Microsoft Lumia 950 smartphone from Microsoft, the device was connected to the dock via cable. The version implemented by HP in the case of the Elite X3 involves installing the device directly into the HP Desk Dock.
The HP Desk Dock is a miniature cradle designed to stream the screen of a smartphone to a projector or monitor and work with them within the capabilities of the MS Continuum interface. On the back of the dock are two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, a DisplayPort for connecting a monitor, and an Ethernet port for wired internet. Despite its small size, the chrome-plated dock is surprisingly heavy, which significantly complicates its carrying and allows it to be positioned as a base station, constantly standing firmly next to the monitor at home or in the workplace. At the same time, this gravity has its plus: when working with a smartphone connected to the dock in portrait mode (with or without a cover), the device remains stationary and does not risk falling onto the floor, as is the case with the connection option with a fairly rigid cable using Microsoft Lumia 950.
After connecting to the Continuum interface, the user has at his disposal a kind of desktop analogue. At the same time, it is important to note that at the current stage no tiled multi-windowing is provided on the screen - the user sees in front of him and works in full-screen mode with only one of the available applications. In this case, the second application may be available on the screen of the phablet. It remains possible to receive calls and conversations via Skype without interrupting the workflow. In the case of the HP Elite X3, when the device is hard-installed in the dock, the ergonomics suffer, because to realize the possibility of negotiation, you will have to additionally use the speakerphone option, which is not always convenient, or have a headset on hand.
According to the developers, the advantage of this format of working with information is very convenient for mobile employees, who are often forced to move between different offices, but do not impose increased requirements on the device performance and software resource-intensiveness. In other words, the use of HP Elite X3 in tandem with the dock in this case will avoid the need to rush about with a laptop between offices and home. To achieve this goal, it will be enough to install one dock in each office and move between them, having only a phablet on hand. All that is needed to start the workflow is to “plug” the device into the dock and proceed, without any need for synchronization of the terminal devices.
According to representatives of the company HP, Elite X3 will be indispensable for managers and managers who do not think the workflow communications. Of course, professional devices with specific requirements will not replace such a bundle, but in this case it is not required.
One of the valuable features of Elite X3 is to work with your favorite user applications using HP Workspace - a proprietary catalog of x86 applications that provides quick and easy access to programs and full of sensations when working in a full-featured environment, especially when the user uses the keyboard and a mouse connected to the Desk Dock or Mobile Extender.
No less attractive for business audience looks solution Salesforce - a leader in the market of CRM-platforms. Integrated into the HP Elite X3, Salesforce allows you to conduct business from your mobile device, exploiting the power of cloud technologies. Data stored in the cloud remains available to the user at any time.
Another harmonious addition to the functional kit, which, according to HP engineers for HP Elite X3 “full stuffing,” is intended to be the “Wireless Extender” - a curious accessory that looks like a 1 kg notebook with a full screen size of 12.5 ” keyboard, trackpad, supports the management of gestures and battery to 46.5 W / h. At the same time, any other filling that provides independent computing capabilities inside the device is absent by definition, and it is designed as an alternative means for comfortable work using information transmitted from the phablet over the wireless channel.
Since there is no confidential data inside the Wireless Extender, this gadget can be easily transferred between users and employees. In this case, the phablet in the process of work can be placed, for example, in the pocket of a jacket or bag. Thus, the “Wireless Extender” is nothing more than a means for comfortable work on the road and a significantly lighter version of the notebook. Whether such a sophisticated technical solution to the problem of comfort, estimated by the developer at $ 250, will now be in demand is clearly premature.
Does HP Elite X3 have any prospects to win back its share of the corporate mobile market? In order to answer this question, it is worth trying to weigh the pros and cons.
Of course, the desire to get rid of excess weight and maximally ease your life on the physical level is the dream of any sensible top and businessman. And confirmation of this is a relatively painless transition from laptops to tablets. Why not argue in a similar way in the case of a smartphone, which, being always with you, will allow you to get rid of carrying extra weight? Of course, in this case, the desire to use a smartphone as the main device loses its meaning due to objective inconveniences - a simplified browser, microscopic icons, limited application capabilities, etc.
And in this regard, the alternative proposed as an HP Elite X3 device on Windows 10 Mobile, which can be used as a desktop analog, looks quite promising, especially since the needs of average managers are often limited to transferring information via e-mail, Skype and by the browser. All these and many other features are successfully implemented on the MS Continuum platform via the HP Elite X3.
HP is also optimistic about the development of new high-quality mobile applications for Windows 10 Mobile, which has become part of the Windows 10 ecosystem installed today on more than 200 million devices. And the likelihood that the new SmartPad will be used as a central device in the office and home ecosystem with an increase in the number of such applications will only increase. Perhaps this explains the presence in the HP Elite X3 slot for 2 SIM - cards, one of which can be used by the user as a worker, and the other - used for personal purposes.
But is it all so cloudless? Probably not. According to experts, one of the key problems on the way to total domination of phablets like HP Elite X3 in the near future is the banal commitment of owners of prestigious, well-optimized software and hardware optimized devices to the already developed ecosystem of their idol, be it Apple, Samsung or Xiaomi. Even if there are sufficiently convincing arguments in favor of the promoted platform, an instantaneous failure of the user from years of emerging preferences seems unlikely.
As a sounded counterargument, the opinion was considered that product promotion at the company level would simply deprive the accountable team of the choice. But here, experts are convinced, there may be stumbling blocks, because it so happened that objectively most of the representatives of the executive team chose the iPhone. Convincing them to change their preferences even in case of any obvious advantages of the new solution is a task that requires time, effort, and most importantly, desire and meaning.
Both in the first and in the second case, HP’s desire to “thrust the world into a new standard of comfort”, breaking the existing balance of forces, is likely to stumble upon the inertia of thinking. But whether HP Elite X3 is destined to become the starting point of an innovation ecosystem in the medium and long term, at least in the niche in which the manufacturer positions it, it is hard to say for sure - it will determine the time and uncompromising market.
Our other articles and events
HP Elite X3 is an effective and comprehensive business-oriented solution for the global corporate market. This is how the official representatives of HP have positioned their device at the presentation. And although the proposed solution eliminates the increased user requirements for multimedia capabilities, at the same time, it really allows in many cases to completely dispense with a traditional laptop or PC. The successful solution of the overwhelming majority of office tasks, according to HP, is also possible with the help of a phablet working in a single complex with MS Continuum and accessories, announced during the same presentation.
As representatives of HP noted, in the light of current trends, using the Internet, users en masse are increasingly shifting from computers and laptops to smartphones and phablets. In this case, miniature screens of compact devices in most cases quite well cope with the task of providing the user with the necessary information, but limit the process of creating the desired content. Part of the problem is solved through cloud technologies, but, according to HP, it is much more efficient to use for processing data arrays just one device that has taken on the mission of the center of the user ecosystem.
')
Three problems HP Elite X3 is designed to solve
Based on the concept according to which HP is positioning a new product, the proposed solution will allow forgetting at least three topical issues for corporate users:
1. According to statistics, to solve operational problems at work, an employee of the company today uses, on average, three different devices. Most often it is a smartphone, laptop and tablet. When using devices for their intended purpose, they will most likely need to be synchronized, not to mention auxiliary, but necessary accessories, such as trivial chargers. Often, all this tangible in weight and dimensions kit, guided by various considerations, office staff have to carry.
2. The more devices involved in building a corporate network, the higher the vulnerability of the latter, the more complex and expensive the algorithms for protecting confidential data and maintaining an adequate level of security of the production infrastructure.
3. An employee who uses desktop corporate applications, most of which are optimized for mouse and keyboard, encounters problems when forced to use them on relatively small touch screens of smartphones.
On the other hand, literally in the last few years, the possibilities of mobile technologies and the speed of network connections have increased significantly. A new generation of smartphones in many key parameters are increasingly reducing the distance to existing average desktop solutions. The outlined problems, on the one hand, and the outlined progress, on the other, created the prerequisites for finding fundamentally new solutions. This decision, according to HP, will be presented recently Elite X3.
A little pathos from Dion Weisler
President and CEO HP Inc. Dion Weisler did not particularly stint on pathos, he said that HP Elite X3 is nothing but “... a revolution unprecedented in scale for the global mobile device market. ... We offer a truly innovative computing platform that provides mobility without sacrificing performance. The technological capabilities of HP and our partners allowed us to set a new industry standard and dispel the myth that effective work is possible only in an office chair, ”he declares.
Let's see what the new product announced by HP is.
The HP Elite X3 is a fairly large Windows 10 Mobile phone running with the support of the Continuum function, which allows you to connect a monitor, an external keyboard and a mouse through a small dock and use them in standard mode. That is, we have before us the elder brother of the “declassed” Microsoft Lumia 950 XL with improved technical characteristics.
Specifications
• Class: flagship phablet
• Form Factor: candy bar
• Body materials: plastic and aluminum
• Operating System: Windows 10 Mobile
• Network: GSM / EDGE, WCDMA, LTE supported
• Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• RAM: 4 GB LPDDR4
• Memory for data storage: 64 GB
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a / b / g / n / ac), dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0 (A2DP, EDR), Type-C connector for charge / sync, 3.5 mm for headset
• Screen: 5.96 '', capacitive, QHD with automatic adjustment of the backlight level and oleophobic coating, resolution 1140x2560,
• Navigation: GPS / Glonass (support A-GPS)
• Sensors: accelerometer, position sensor in space, gyroscope, light sensor
• Battery: non-removable, Li-ion, capacity 4100 mAh
• Cameras: main 16 MP, front 8MP
• Price: from $ 600
The dimensions of the “shovels” are really impressive, and if you can still hold the phablet with one hand, it is most likely that it will be difficult to control the thumb of the same size.
The model's Snapdragon 820 chip, a powerful Qualcomm single-chip system made in accordance with the 14Nm technical process, is responsible for the intellectual abilities of the model. Problems with overheating characteristic of the version of Snapdragon 810, according to the representatives of HP, who conducted the presentation is not marked.
For the autonomy of the device meets the non-removable Li-ion battery with a capacity of 4100 mAh, which should be enough for at least a day of work, even if actively used. Supports Qi wireless charging. The amount of internal storage was 64 GB, and the RAM has nearly 4 GB.
Bang & Olufsen’s built-in audio system is equipped with two front speakers and active noise cancellation on multiple directional microphones. This means that even if the user of HP Elite X3 is, for example, in a rather noisy room, his interlocutor at the end of the “wire” has every chance to hear a sufficiently distinct voice and meaningful speech.
The 8MP front-facing camera can play its positive role during a long video conferencing session, looking at the interlocutor from his smartphone, installed in the desktop dock of the HP Desk Dock in portrait position.
Restrict access to confidential information allows the scanner on the back of the case and the camera to scan the retina, on the frontal surface of the phablet. The last option can be very useful on a winter street, when due to gloves, the operational unlocking of the device is problematic. Other useful security options are supported - FIPS 140.2 encryption, Bitlocker, Secure Boot, fTPM 2.0, the ability to encrypt images, etc.
Reliable mechanical protection device provides support for the military standard MIL-STD 810G (the same as the recently announced CAT S60) and IP67, Gorilla Glass 4. The presentation assured that the device can be lowered under the water to a depth of 1 m time to half an hour and drop from a height of 1.3 meters to a hard surface.
Taking into account the characteristics presented by the manufacturer, we conclude that the giant HP Elite X3 in terms of its technical characteristics will be able to quite successfully compete with the new flagships LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7.
Metamorphosis with docks
The start of sales of HP Elite X3 in the global market, the company plans for the summer of 2016. According to representatives of HP, corporate customers, thus, will have the opportunity to accept and evaluate the prospects of the concept of a multifunctional computing device, implemented in Elite X3. Most likely, in fact, we are talking about a timeout taken by HP to popularize the capabilities of Microsoft’s not so familiar Continuum technology. It is on MS Continuum, and not on the hardware merits of the new flagship HP puts the main emphasis.
If it is quite simple, the technology allows smartpad (phablet), using the interface of the Continuum, to connect to the dock and work with an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. In the first device with Continuum support, the Microsoft Lumia 950 smartphone from Microsoft, the device was connected to the dock via cable. The version implemented by HP in the case of the Elite X3 involves installing the device directly into the HP Desk Dock.
The HP Desk Dock is a miniature cradle designed to stream the screen of a smartphone to a projector or monitor and work with them within the capabilities of the MS Continuum interface. On the back of the dock are two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, a DisplayPort for connecting a monitor, and an Ethernet port for wired internet. Despite its small size, the chrome-plated dock is surprisingly heavy, which significantly complicates its carrying and allows it to be positioned as a base station, constantly standing firmly next to the monitor at home or in the workplace. At the same time, this gravity has its plus: when working with a smartphone connected to the dock in portrait mode (with or without a cover), the device remains stationary and does not risk falling onto the floor, as is the case with the connection option with a fairly rigid cable using Microsoft Lumia 950.
After connecting to the Continuum interface, the user has at his disposal a kind of desktop analogue. At the same time, it is important to note that at the current stage no tiled multi-windowing is provided on the screen - the user sees in front of him and works in full-screen mode with only one of the available applications. In this case, the second application may be available on the screen of the phablet. It remains possible to receive calls and conversations via Skype without interrupting the workflow. In the case of the HP Elite X3, when the device is hard-installed in the dock, the ergonomics suffer, because to realize the possibility of negotiation, you will have to additionally use the speakerphone option, which is not always convenient, or have a headset on hand.
Advantages of the solution through the mouth of developers
According to the developers, the advantage of this format of working with information is very convenient for mobile employees, who are often forced to move between different offices, but do not impose increased requirements on the device performance and software resource-intensiveness. In other words, the use of HP Elite X3 in tandem with the dock in this case will avoid the need to rush about with a laptop between offices and home. To achieve this goal, it will be enough to install one dock in each office and move between them, having only a phablet on hand. All that is needed to start the workflow is to “plug” the device into the dock and proceed, without any need for synchronization of the terminal devices.
According to representatives of the company HP, Elite X3 will be indispensable for managers and managers who do not think the workflow communications. Of course, professional devices with specific requirements will not replace such a bundle, but in this case it is not required.
One of the valuable features of Elite X3 is to work with your favorite user applications using HP Workspace - a proprietary catalog of x86 applications that provides quick and easy access to programs and full of sensations when working in a full-featured environment, especially when the user uses the keyboard and a mouse connected to the Desk Dock or Mobile Extender.
No less attractive for business audience looks solution Salesforce - a leader in the market of CRM-platforms. Integrated into the HP Elite X3, Salesforce allows you to conduct business from your mobile device, exploiting the power of cloud technologies. Data stored in the cloud remains available to the user at any time.
Wireless extender
Another harmonious addition to the functional kit, which, according to HP engineers for HP Elite X3 “full stuffing,” is intended to be the “Wireless Extender” - a curious accessory that looks like a 1 kg notebook with a full screen size of 12.5 ” keyboard, trackpad, supports the management of gestures and battery to 46.5 W / h. At the same time, any other filling that provides independent computing capabilities inside the device is absent by definition, and it is designed as an alternative means for comfortable work using information transmitted from the phablet over the wireless channel.
Since there is no confidential data inside the Wireless Extender, this gadget can be easily transferred between users and employees. In this case, the phablet in the process of work can be placed, for example, in the pocket of a jacket or bag. Thus, the “Wireless Extender” is nothing more than a means for comfortable work on the road and a significantly lighter version of the notebook. Whether such a sophisticated technical solution to the problem of comfort, estimated by the developer at $ 250, will now be in demand is clearly premature.
Perspectives
Does HP Elite X3 have any prospects to win back its share of the corporate mobile market? In order to answer this question, it is worth trying to weigh the pros and cons.
Of course, the desire to get rid of excess weight and maximally ease your life on the physical level is the dream of any sensible top and businessman. And confirmation of this is a relatively painless transition from laptops to tablets. Why not argue in a similar way in the case of a smartphone, which, being always with you, will allow you to get rid of carrying extra weight? Of course, in this case, the desire to use a smartphone as the main device loses its meaning due to objective inconveniences - a simplified browser, microscopic icons, limited application capabilities, etc.
And in this regard, the alternative proposed as an HP Elite X3 device on Windows 10 Mobile, which can be used as a desktop analog, looks quite promising, especially since the needs of average managers are often limited to transferring information via e-mail, Skype and by the browser. All these and many other features are successfully implemented on the MS Continuum platform via the HP Elite X3.
HP is also optimistic about the development of new high-quality mobile applications for Windows 10 Mobile, which has become part of the Windows 10 ecosystem installed today on more than 200 million devices. And the likelihood that the new SmartPad will be used as a central device in the office and home ecosystem with an increase in the number of such applications will only increase. Perhaps this explains the presence in the HP Elite X3 slot for 2 SIM - cards, one of which can be used by the user as a worker, and the other - used for personal purposes.
But is it all so cloudless? Probably not. According to experts, one of the key problems on the way to total domination of phablets like HP Elite X3 in the near future is the banal commitment of owners of prestigious, well-optimized software and hardware optimized devices to the already developed ecosystem of their idol, be it Apple, Samsung or Xiaomi. Even if there are sufficiently convincing arguments in favor of the promoted platform, an instantaneous failure of the user from years of emerging preferences seems unlikely.
As a sounded counterargument, the opinion was considered that product promotion at the company level would simply deprive the accountable team of the choice. But here, experts are convinced, there may be stumbling blocks, because it so happened that objectively most of the representatives of the executive team chose the iPhone. Convincing them to change their preferences even in case of any obvious advantages of the new solution is a task that requires time, effort, and most importantly, desire and meaning.
Both in the first and in the second case, HP’s desire to “thrust the world into a new standard of comfort”, breaking the existing balance of forces, is likely to stumble upon the inertia of thinking. But whether HP Elite X3 is destined to become the starting point of an innovation ecosystem in the medium and long term, at least in the niche in which the manufacturer positions it, it is hard to say for sure - it will determine the time and uncompromising market.
Our other articles and events
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/390739/
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