05/17, 5:51pm
UK games now being regulated by Video Standards Council
The Video Standards Council has become the UK's sole statutory video-games regulator, administering the PEGI rating system. The changes now mean age checking for the sale of any game rated PEGI 12, 16 or 18 would become enforceable under UK law. Previously, the system was in an advisory capacity and not legally enforceable, with PEGI games rated 15 or higher also being rated by the BBFC for content.
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04/30, 6:20pm
Walmart to carry four U Prepaid phones
Regional wireless providers US Cellular and Alltel have teamed up with Walmart on an upcoming launch of a new no-contract service. Called U Prepaid, it will be available in nearly 500 Walmart stores in 18 states. The service will focus on offering simple and easy-to-understand service plans.
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04/05, 3:35pm
Galaxy S Aviator now at US Cellular for $200
As promised two months ago, US Cellular has started shipping its first LTE smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S Aviator. The handset sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen and is preloaded with Android 2.3.6 onboard. More importantly, however, it can access the carrier's 4G LTE network, offering significantly higher speeds than 3G networks.
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03/22, 12:35pm
Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE now at US Cellular for $400
As expected, US Cellular on Thursday confirmed it is now selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE tablet from Samsung. It has thus become the first LTE device on the carrier's network, as it ships ahead of the Galaxy S Aviator handset due in April. The tablet will cost $500 after a $100 mail-in rebate, though introductory pricing is $400 after the same rebate.
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03/14, 4:15pm
T-Mobile sends letter to FCC for 4G LTE roaming
T-Mobile USA has sent a letter to the FCC (PDF), asking it that all 700MHz LTE bands are interoperable between carriers. Such a move would motivate roaming and help the public in terms of safety, T-Mobile wrote. A meeting is scheduled for next week, at which the FCC will decide whether the interference between 700MHz B and C block operations could be mitigated if the lower band were to be made interoperable.
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03/08, 1:45pm
C Spire outlines more definitive LTE plans
C Spire gave out more definitive plans for its delayed LTE rollout on Thursday. The regional carrier will focus on Mississippi and cover both the core of Jackson, the Gulf Coast, and 23 individual towns. Among the examples include Hattiesburg, Tupelo, and West Point.
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02/21, 1:00pm
US Cellular bringing Galaxy S II for $230
US Cellular has a teaser page up for its version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, promising to ship it soon. It will run on the carrier's 3G network and thus gets the overall faster 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos processor instead of the 1.5GHz Snapdragon in the 4G-capable versions. The screen is nonetheless the larger, 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, and an eight-megapixel camera with LED flash continues to sit out back.
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02/16, 7:15pm
LTE to arrive in cities across 14 states
US Cellular has announced that it is set to offer a 4G LTE mobile hotspot, while the company's LTE network will be expanded to include a variety of cities spread across 14 states. The additional markets to receive LTE service include cities in Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
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02/15, 11:15am
Motorola stalls most Android 4 updates
Motorola gave out a detailed timetable of its promised Android 4.0 upgrades that stalled them for most users. In spite of promising most updates early in the year, the original Atrix, the Atrix 2, the Photon 4G, and all international variants on the Xoom 2/Xyboard tablet wouldn't start seeing updates until the summer. The initial batch doesn't start until the spring, when the international RAZR, the international and Family Edition Xoom Wi-Fi models, and the China-only MT917 and XT928 should get their upgrades.
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02/13, 5:10pm
Adds to capabilities in N. Carolina and Nebraska
US Cellular (USCC) has snapped up additional spectrum as it preps for the launch of its LTE-based services next month. On Friday, the Chicago-based regional services provider applied to the FCC for approval to buy five 700MHz licenses in North Carolina and Nebraska. The acquisitions, if approved, will give the carrier LTE-compatible spectrum in six North Carolina markets and eight areas in Nebraska.
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02/01, 1:25pm
US Cellular to kick off LTE with familiar devices
US Cellular acted on promises and detailed its first LTE devices. Both would be slight tweaks of existing Samsung devices and would include the Galaxy S Aviator, an adaptation of the Droid Charge from Verizon, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE. The two should arrive in April and March respectively.
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01/05, 11:15pm
Regional US carriers talk new LTE plans
Two US regional carriers saw contrasting results for their LTE rolluts on Thursday. C Spire had set a goal of having LTE-based 4G on its network by the end of 2011, but in a response to FierceWireless declined to say what adjusted schedule it might have. The former Cellular South may have been counting on rules requiring LTE interoperability from AT&T devices that weren't granted with the Qualcomm spectrum handover in December.
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12/28, 11:50am
Galaxy S II, Tab 10.1 coming to US Cullular?
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy S II may soon be available at US Cellular, according to a screen capture from the carrier's system shared by Android Central. The regional carrier has yet to officially announce either device, however, so ship dates and prices remain unknown. Both would be late entries after most major carriers had one device or both.
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12/23, 2:20pm
Second US cartrier to offer Huawei smartphone
US Cellular will soon be running a new budget Android phone, the Huawei Ascend II. The hardware centers on a 3.5-inch, 480x240 touchscreen and runs Android 2.3. The carrier is the second US-based carrier to carry the phone, following Cricket, which launched it in July.
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12/05, 7:30pm
US Cellular next among carriers open to 4G iPhone
The chief for US Cellular's parent, TDS, hinted in a presentation at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference on Monday that US Cellular would be open to an LTE iPhone. It was "never going to say never" about Apple's device, but the carrier wanted the device on its newest network before considering. Its LTE network goes live in early 2012 and will already be at half coverage of its regional-sized network by the end of 2012.
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11/07, 5:15pm
Entry-level handset brings basic features
Samsung and US Cellular have introduced the Repp, an entry-level Android handset that will be offered for free with a two-year agreement. The device offers a basic set of features, centering around a single-core 800MHz processor and a 3.2-inch touchscreen with 360x480 resolution, though it does run one of the latest versions of Google's smartphone OS, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, that has yet to arrive on many high-end alternatives.
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11/04, 6:00pm
US Cellular next to jump to LTE
US Cellular has become the next major US carrier to plan out an upgrade to LTE-based 4G. The regional carrier plans to deploy the faster network starting from early 2012 and plans to cover a handful of cities in Iowa, Wisconsin, Maine, North Carolina, Texas, and Oklahoma. Among the highlight will be Des Moines, Greenville, Milauwkee, and Portland, although most will have more than one city covered.
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11/04, 2:40pm
Carrier might still pick up iPhone in future
US Cellular was offered a chance to sell the iPhone, but decided to turn it down, according to CEO Mary Dillon. The executive revealed the information during a third-quarter results call. She elaborated that Apple's terms were "unacceptable from a risk and profitability standpoint," and claimed that network capacity was not an issue. US Cellular is open to selling the iPhone in the future, Dillon added.
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10/19, 8:30pm
Galaxy Nexus US page hints every US carrier onside
A now active signup page for the Galaxy Nexus has given a chance the Android 4.0 phone might arrive on most US carriers. The carrier preference drop-down gives the option not just for the Verizon LTE model but also AT&T, C Spire (Cellular South), MetroPCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular. Only niche or 'virtual' carriers like TracFone and Virgin Mobile are out of the list.
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10/19, 11:30am
HTC makes first CDMA-GSM dual mode Evo phone
Sprint Wednesday brought out a new budget Evo that's its first dual-mode model in the line. The HTC Evo Design 4G is a close cousin of the Hero S that can roam on GSM networks along with Sprint's native CDMA. Its version adds WiMAX to get the claimed 4G speeds.
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10/06, 8:20pm
HTC Flyer costs 399 to 599 based on data
US Cellular chose Thursday to committed to the launch for its version of the HTC Flyer, but with a unique price scheme. The seven-inch Android tablet will be rare in the US in having a European-style price based on the data plan. Buyers will pay as much as $600 if they get a lightweight $15, 200MB monthly plan, but stepping up to the $55 5GB plan drops the price down to $400.
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09/28, 4:40pm
US Cellular to bring out HTC Wildfire S, Flyer
In addition to the upcoming HTC Hero S, US Cellular announced on Wednesday that the HTC Wildfire S smartphone and Flyer tablet will be made available at its stores in October. The Wildfire S is an entry-level smartphone and sports a 3.2-inch touchscreen and a five-megapixel camera. It is powered by Android 2.3 and HTC's Sense user interface.
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09/28, 4:10pm
HTC Hero S due in October
HTC and US Cellular confirmed rumors and revived one of Android's earliest, best-known names with the Hero S. The design recalls the squared-off look of the original Hero but with a much more modern design centered on a four-inch, 540x960 LCD. As one of HTC's fastest phones under 4.3 inches, it carries a single-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon and should be visibly faster than a device like the Droid Incredible 2.
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09/21, 7:20pm
Latest Kingdom variant to he slated for US market
HTC's Hero S handset has surfaced with US Cellular branding, alongside the Motorola Electrify that was confirmed earlier this month. The Hero S appears to represent yet another US-bound CDMA variant of HTC's Kindgom handset, offering many of the same features as the Hero 4G that was recently rumored to be headed to Sprint.
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08/30, 5:00pm
Android 2.3.4 now out for US Cellular Mesmerize
US Cellular's Galaxy S phone, the Mesmerize, has now began receiving the software update to Android 2.3.4. The benefits are outlined online and include better power management, updated menus and settings, new shortcuts and easy-to-read displays. Text input and editing is also faster thanks to the improvements.
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08/26, 4:50pm
JD Power gives Verizon nod in cellular performance
JD Power late this week published an updated study that gave Verizon another win in cellular network quality rankings. Customers gave it the lead in all but the North central US, where US Cellular had the lead. In some cases, the margin was a wide one, with three to five fewer problems per 100 people.
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08/04, 3:30pm
BlackBerry Bold 9900, new Torches priced in Canada
The top three Canadian carriers have not only unveiled their plans to carry the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and new BlackBerry Torches but given the clue as to pricing that will likely translate to the US. Rogers has said that both the 9810 and the 9860 will cost $200 when attached to a three-year contract. The Bold 9900 will carry an unusual premium at $250 on the same terms.
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08/03, 1:45pm
BlackBerry Torch 9850 to hit Sprint, US Cellular
Sprint and US Cellular became two CDMA carriers to sign on to BlackBerry 7 launches on Wednesday. Both of them will carry the Torch 9850 and share its 3.7-inch, 480x800 display, 1.2GHz processor, and fast-responding five-megapixel camera. CDMA puts the two on EVDO-based 3G, but it's unclear what software differences the two will have.
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07/02, 5:15pm
LG Optimus Black coming to most US CDMA carriers
LG's Optimus Black is now known to be coming to virtually every US CDMA carrier after FCC listings gave its plans away. A core LS855 model is headed to Sprint, while AS855, US855, and VM855 should reach Alltel, US Cellular, and Virgin. In every case, the chief updates are the expected switchovers to CDMA and EVDO for phone calls and 3G.
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06/13, 3:40pm
HTC 7 Pro due at US Cellular June 14
US Cellular became the first regional US carrier to pick up Windows Phone 7 with the HTC 7 Pro. Its device is a more straightforward adaptation of the Arrive for Sprint and shares its CDMA networking along with the NoDo update to Windows Phone 7. Its version is also closer to stock, although it comes with Your Navigator Deluxe to bring turn-by-turn driving.
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06/09, 6:20pm
US Cellular clues into 2011 smartphones, tablets
US Cellular gave out a roadmap for its device launches for the rest of 2011. It planned to launch both an Android-based LTE-based 4G device and its first Windows Phone 7 hardware before the end of the year. It also promised six more Android phones, LTE hardware in November, and an HTC tablet in the early fall that's likely to be the HTC Flyer.
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06/06, 5:45pm
FCC asks Verizon and other carriers on ATT T-Mo
The FCC on Monday sent out a request (PDF) to carriers asking them for information to help its investigation into the AT&T and T-Mobile deal. Verizon, Sprint, and regional carriers like Cellular South and US Cellular were all asked to provide responses to the deal and supporting evidence. Each got the same nine questions relating to coverage, cell site ownership, expansion, relationships with AT&T, their future spectrum plans, billing, and competitive reports.
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05/26, 9:45am
Visual Interactive sues Apple, US carriers
Non-contributing patent holder Visual Interactive Phone Concepts has sued Apple, AT&T, and US Cellular for allegedly violating two patents for video phones. The three Michigan-based lawsuits claim that the three companies violate the patents, both describing a "videophone interactive mailbox facility system," but through questionable means. Apple was accused of violating the patent simply for making a video-capable phone in the iPhone and offering services like the App Store, iTunes, and the iBookstore; AT&T and US Cellular were both targeted for having music and video services as well as content stores that happened to be on video phones.
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05/17, 11:55am
Sprint, Motorola top customer satisfaction scores
The latest quarterly report on customer satisfaction from the American Customer Satisfaction Index found that AT&T and T-Mobile's scores have dropped while Sprint is now at the top. The overall customer satisfaction score with wireless telephone services has dropped by 1.4 percent to a score of 71 but is stronger than it was before 2010. Sprint showed the best increase over the course of three years, from trailing the second worst provider by 15 points to the top of the pack.
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05/07, 8:20pm
US Cellular to have LTE with 25pc coverage
US Cellular on Friday leapt on 4G with its own plans for an LTE network. The carrier planned to have at least 25 percent of its network covered by the end of 2011 and would focus on cities that haven't been priorities for Verizon. Some of the first cities would include Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine in Wisconsin; Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Des Moines in Iowa; Greenville in North Carolina; and both Bangor and Portland in Maine.
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04/14, 5:15pm
US Cellular offers prepaid Optimus U, Apex
US Cellular on Thursday said it would start offering the LG Optimus U and LG Apex smartphones on prepaid plans for the first time, starting April 15. The Optimus U will cost $200 and the Apex $250, and both are powered by Android, with the former sporting the 2.2 version of the OS, the latter 2.1.
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03/29, 2:50pm
New York Attorney General to check ATT T-Mobile
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said on Tuesday that his office would investigate AT&T's buyout of T-Mobile. He promised a "thorough review" and stressed that it was important to have low-cost service that might be at risk after AT&T bought out the usually more affordable smaller carrier. New York also had its state-specific issues, as Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse were limited in their competitive choices, a fact AT&T largely sidestepped in its merger presentation.
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03/23, 11:30pm
FCC doubts ATT T-Mobile deal goes unchanged
An anonymous FCC official on Wednesday night said that the proposed AT&T buyout of T-Mobile would very likely go through major changes if it were to be approved at all. He was careful to note the deal hadn't yet been under formal investigation but was confident FCC chair Julius Genachowski would either require conditions or ban the deal. The WSJ didn't learn which of the two was the more likely but was told a greenlight was a virtual impossibility.
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03/22, 12:25am
Verizon says no takeover of Sprint imminent
Verizon's wireless chief Dan Mead in a talk downplayed speculation that his network might buy Sprint as a response to the AT&T buyout of T-Mobile. He argued that Verizon wanted to be profitable first rather than try for more market share. He added to Reuters that Verizon wouldn't stand in the way of the merger, in part because Verizon officials "don't need them" at Sprint but also because he thought the Department of Justice and FCC might force AT&T to give up too many cell sites or privileges to make it worthwhile.
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12/17, 10:00pm
US Cellular Galaxy Tab drops to 200 with 5GB plan
US Cellular joined in the Galaxy Tab price cuts on Friday with an uncommon discount. The recently reviewed tablet still costs $400 on the basic $15 plan but has followed a European model and is charging just $200 for those who sign to a contract for the $55, 5GB plan. Other carriers have similarly priced plans but don't change the subsidy based on the level of service.
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12/12, 5:00pm
We test the Samsung Galaxy Tab
In the mobile phone landscape, Android represents one of the biggest threats to Apple. With the introduction of the iPad, though, the battle has moved on to tablets; Apple has almost had the market to itself. Samsung's Galaxy Tab is the first honest, mainstream competitor using Android. It has some features that the iPad currently lacks, such as dual cameras and support for Flash, but we'll see in our Galaxy Tab review how well it holds up.
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11/15, 2:05pm
Galaxy Tab reaches ATT for 650
AT&T today became the last major US carrier to launch the Samsung Galaxy Tab (link active soon). The Android tablet will share the same seven-inch screen, 1GHz processor, dual cameras and built-in Flash support, although it will follow an iPad-style 3G activation model. Users can sign up for and start 3G service on the device itself and pay only for either 250MB or 2GB of data in a given month when needed.
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10/28, 12:05pm
US Cellular to bring out Galaxy Tab for holidays
Regional carrier US Cellular on Thursday announced it will ship the Samsung Galaxy Tab in time for the holidays. Other than that, US Cellular hasn't said what it will cost or exactly when it arrive, though it promises to do so soon. The carrier will offer the tablet on its 3G network, with subsidized prices likely to fall between $400 and $600.
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10/08, 2:50am
China Telecom talking to Apple, Qualcomm on iPhone
A Deutsche Bank analyst fueled further talk of a CDMA iPhone with word of a possible China Telecom deal in a research note reported today. "Intensive" supplier checks purportedly showed that the second-largest Chinese carrier was talking not only to Apple but to the CDMA chipset supplier, Qualcomm, to guarantee a deal, according to the South China Morning Post's copy of the note. It wasn't said how close a deal might be or whether there would be any changes to the rumored American design.
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10/06, 5:00pm
Mesmerize and Showcase headed to new carriers
US Cellular and Cellular South are the latest carriers to announce Galaxy S-series handsets in their respective smartphone offerings. US Cellular is set to get the Mesmerize variant, while Cellular South customers will be able to purchase the Showcase model.
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08/30, 1:50pm
Samsung takes 45 days to hit 1m Galaxy S mark
Samsung started the week by confirming that it had shipped one million Galaxy S phones in the US. The tally includes the combined numbers for AT&T's Captivate and T-Mobile's Vibrant and took 45 days to reach. It doesn't yet include the Epic 4G, which reaches Sprint tomorrow, or the Fascinate, which reaches US Cellular and Verizon sometime in the fall.
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08/27, 12:40pm
HTC Desire now shipping at US Cellular for $200
US Cellular has acted on its promise to ship the HTC Desire smartphone on Friday. The carrier is the first in the US to offer the Android 2.1-powered device, which sports a 3.7-inch, 800x480 LCD touchscreen (versus the AMOLED of early versions) along with a five-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash.
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08/17, 1:20pm
REVO announces upcoming digital radio
U.S. Cellular has announced that it will be launching the BlackBerry Bold 9650 on August 18th. The 9650 features the same 3.2-megapixel camera, 480x360 display, and GPS as the Tour, but adds Wi-Fi functionality, along with the updated trackpad. The device ships with BlackBerry OS 5.0 and is said to be compatible with the upcoming OS 6 update that was announced earlier this month. Carrier specific features include access to several U.S. Cellular applications, such as My Contacts Backup, Tone Room Deluxe, and Your Navigator Deluxe. Official pricing information is yet to be released, but the company's site should be updated with new information soon.
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08/17, 1:10pm
BlackBerry 9670 due at Sprint this year
The BlackBerry 9670 flip phone, which has been billed for a release at US Cellular as well as Verizon, will also be coming to Sprint, BGR reported. Several pre-release Sprint-badged handsets have supposedly been seen in testing. The new model would reach the carrier in the next couple of months.
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08/11, 8:40pm
Second Android offering from the carrier
US Cellular has announced that it will be adding HTC's Desire handset to its smartphone lineup. The device will be the second Android phone to arrive on the carrier, and one of five Android-based handsets that the company will add this year.
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