Good buy? - General Questions and Answers

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Looking for a powerful laptop within the £450 range. Any suggestions?

I think so...but
I think that you'd better take a look over several laptop brands such as ASUS or HP, from what i know those two are very reliable and I figure that for such a price you will get a good one of them. Try comparing prices over the net, you will see that for 400 you'd find a laptop worth buying.

Newegg
I usually get great deals (500$ and less) on laptop computers from Newegg but I don't know if they ship to UK.
In the UK, eBuyer, Overclockers UK, Dabs, KustomPCS, LinITX and MicroDirect seems to have pretty decent prices.
Refurbished laptop computers has always been a good investment for me... Never had any problem.
Just search on Google to get their URLs.
Hope it helps!

ASUS usually give the same specs but with the cheaper price than other brands......

bArDBQ said:
I usually get great deals (500$ and less) on laptop computers from Newegg but I don't know if they ship to UK.
In the UK, eBuyer, Overclockers UK, Dabs, KustomPCS, LinITX and MicroDirect seems to have pretty decent prices.
Refurbished laptop computers has always been a good investment for me... Never had any problem.
Just search on Google to get their URLs.
Hope it helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks will look into these. I just need something that I can really use day in day out really, and will be powerful for software programming/compiling etc.
ASUS I've noticed are actually cheaper with same specs - but is quality and power the same in ASUS laptops?

Related

amazon selling g tablet

Price 416.00 but it will get more inters than just selling at Sears and officedepot.
http://www.amazon.com/Viewsonic-G-T...n-Android/dp/B004EPV7TK/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_cart_1
Hmmm.. It says You save $83.30. Is the retail price for the Gtab $499?
If so, seems like we've been getting a good deal !
Jim
On Saturday they had it for 399, I know because I bought it for that price. Combined with Prime and two $50 Visa giftcards, I was able to buy it with a 16gb SD card for $328 and get it on Wednesday. No docking station like the Sears deal but still incredibly satisfied. Many thanks to the devs on this forum and all the testers etc. making this tablet the great gadget it is today.
jimcpl said:
Hmmm.. It says You save $83.30. Is the retail price for the Gtab $499?
If so, seems like we've been getting a good deal !
Jim
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Click to collapse
hmmm... I was ALWAYS of the opinion that for what it was, even $379 was high and that $299.99 would've been a more reasonable price especially given that the Sears here had the display between two cheaper and more capable netbooks... just because it's a "tablet" doesn't make it magically worth more...

Holy crap! $130 G Tablets?

I don't know about this seller specifically, but found this looking for Gtab stuff at Aliexpress. I also don't fully understand their "escrow" process, but it looks like they don't release the funds to him until you confirm delivery. His lack of feedback bothers me some.
URL REMOVED TO PROTECT EVERYONE
Less than $300 for a lot of two is an amzingly great deal, I just wish I had an extra $300 laying around. Hell, if I had a few grand I would probably buy him out and undersell everybody on ebay with them!
nunjabusiness said:
I don't know about this seller specifically, but found this looking for Gtab stuff at Aliexpress. I also don't fully understand their "escrow" process, but it looks like they don't release the funds to him until you confirm delivery. His lack of feedback bothers me some.
http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/409421093-Viewsonic-G-Tablet-with-10-Multi-Touch-LCD-Screen-Android-OS-2-2-wholesalers.html
Less than $300 for a lot of two is an amzingly great deal, I just wish I had an extra $300 laying around. Hell, if I had a few grand I would probably buy him out and undersell everybody on ebay with them!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea but if you look BEFORE he 'cut n paste' the Viewsonic Page he has this...
Screen Size:
10"
Products Status:
Stock
Graphics Card Type:
Integrated Card
Processor Type:
Intel Atom
Processor Brand:
Intel
Type:
Netbook,Tablet PC,UMPC
Hard Drive Capacity:
120GB
Memory Capacity:
512MB
Seems awfully fishy??? Not to mention this seller has NO feedback from what I could find...
It looks like you need to buy two or more to get this pricing.
Viewsonic G-Tablet with 10" Multi-Touch LCD Screen, Android OS 2.2
Unit Price:US $242.11 - 263.16 / lot
2 pieces / lot, $121.06 - 131.58 / piece
Min. Order: 1lot .
it2steve said:
Yea but if you look BEFORE he 'cut n paste' the Viewsonic Page he has this...
Screen Size:
10"
Products Status:
Stock
Graphics Card Type:
Integrated Card
Processor Type:
Intel Atom
Processor Brand:
Intel
Type:
Netbook,Tablet PC,UMPC
Hard Drive Capacity:
120GB
Memory Capacity:
512MB
Seems awfully fishy??? Not to mention this seller has NO feedback from what I could find...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, exactly why I hesitate. It does show some purchases though, so I will be monitoring it for feedback from them.
I try to stay away from aliexpress. Heard too many horror stories of people never getting their items, or what they received was not what the ordered, or it just broken.
On top of that the specs advertised are wrong. A good indication to stay away from a seller. Usually it means the seller has no idea what the product they are selling is. You could wind up with a Viewpad.
Customs
Are these things going to get stuck at customs? IT2STEVE, you have some importing experience (docks/cases/adapters)... how easy/painful is the process? And what should we expect to pay in taxes/duty/fees?
There is no feedback, but there is a large order history, so maybe something will pop up there soon. The order screen does say that this store is 7.8% above average for orders completed (tho it doesn't say what the average is!)
As for the specs... the right specs are in the article below the summary. That sort of thing happens on EBay all the time. He probably posted the other tablet first (the Intel Atom/Win7 one in his store) then started from that ad to make the GTab one.
this is very good, that would be true
I do not believe
buy, then we Tell
1. "No feedback received for this supplier over the past 6 months"
2. "AliExpress Supplier Since: 05 Jan 2011"
Imho if it sounds too good to be true.... it is.
I can afford to risk buying these, but is it too much of a risk? I wouldn't mind getting atom based tablets, because it would be easier to then install a real OS, like Ubuntu. I've been waiting for one to turn up at a local Sears Oulet store. My g-tablet runs great with the stock + updates, so I would use a used one to experiment with.
aver2one said:
Imho if it sounds too good to be true.... it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking the same thing. He doesn't have any feedback yet, maybe because he just joined AliExpress on January 5th. I found these comments about the seller. Not too good:
http://ask.alibaba.com/Q/802132883-...PRESS-as-SIMON-HAN-without-me-responding.html
I want to pull the trigger on this, but I'm not a dumb-ass. I need to drink some beer first, then I will become a dumb-ass, and may purchase them!
wasserkapf said:
I can afford to risk buying these, but is it too much of a risk? I wouldn't mind getting atom based tablets, because it would be easier to then install a real OS, like Ubuntu. I've been waiting for one to turn up at a local Sears Oulet store. My g-tablet runs great with the stock + updates, so I would use a used one to experiment with.
I was thinking the same thing. He doesn't have any feedback yet, maybe because he just joined AliExpress on January 5th. I found these comments about the seller. Not too good:
http://ask.alibaba.com/Q/802132883-...PRESS-as-SIMON-HAN-without-me-responding.html
I want to pull the trigger on this, but I'm not a dumb-ass. I need to drink some beer first, then I will become a dumb-ass, and may purchase them!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, Scotch for me - but I would do it right now if I had the extra simoleons. I've wasted larger amounts of cash on riskier things!
Those reviews were not good! I'll stay away from this one... or at least I won't be first
nunjabusiness said:
LOL, Scotch for me - but I would do it right now if I had the extra simoleons. I've wasted larger amounts of cash on riskier things!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I do have a bottle of this:
http://www.greatlakesdistillery.com/pumpkin.htm
Don't be fooled by the name. It is a whiskey!
There's no way this is legit. The same seller is also selling a 9.7" atom tablet with a 16Gb SSD and 3G with Windows 7/ Windows XP / Linux (ALL THREE INSTALLED!) on it for $115 for each tablet when you buy two.
Yeah right!!!!! LOL.
http://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/...5-Win7-WIFI-3G-MID-Tablet-PC.html#tabbed-pane
Please don't get yourself scammed. Nobody is going to be able to offer a new G Tab for less than $300.
The parts cost for a G Tablet is probably about $170 (Galaxy Tab was about $205 in estimated parts cost according to the breakdowns I've seen, you can back into costs for a G Tablet pretty easily), assembled and packaged, figure $180-$190 for a G Tablet. And companies have shipping, overhead, fixed costs, and returns to cover.
I'm guessing that in 1000 unit lots, Sears et. al. paid something like $250 per unit, and they dumped the returns at slightly over cost (maybe even at their cost?) from Sears outlet when they were selling returned units for $279.
rcgabriel said:
Please don't get yourself scammed. Nobody is going to be able to offer a new G Tab for less than $300.
The parts cost for a G Tablet is probably about $170 (Galaxy Tab was about $205 in estimated parts cost according to the breakdowns I've seen, you can back into costs for a G Tablet pretty easily), assembled and packaged, figure $180-$190 for a G Tablet. And companies have shipping, overhead, fixed costs, and returns to cover.
I'm guessing that in 1000 unit lots, Sears et. al. paid something like $250 per unit, and they dumped the returns at slightly over cost (maybe even at their cost?) from Sears outlet when they were selling returned units for $279.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are forgetting that the manufacturing is in China. Different processes and different laws governing this. I used to be a purchasing agent for IBM and bought many millions of dollars worth of parts for manufacturing so I am pretty confident that the Gtab could be had for well under $200US.
However, after a little more research - I now agree with ALL of the naysayers.
This guy is definitely a scammer and is not to be trusted.
doctorisin said:
Are these things going to get stuck at customs? IT2STEVE, you have some importing experience (docks/cases/adapters)... how easy/painful is the process? And what should we expect to pay in taxes/duty/fees?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the VERY FIRST dock and first lot I ordered took a while. I have it going with a vendor now that it 'seems' I'm getting things about three days after he ships. For the most part when I'm getting a tracking number it's being delivered on time. I've even seen the 'notice' where customs has opened and inspected it.
I had my ZT-180 tablet seized by the local U.S.Customs office. It was seized because it did not have a sticker saying the wireless was FCC approved, and/or the proper documents regarding this. I had to come up with the forms and documents, AND pay a $100 fee.
The only reason I even considered this offer was because the g-tablet is marked as being FCC approved.
I just placed an order for 1 lot with aliexpress. Only way to tell if it is O.K. is to try, have fingers crossed.
Wish you the best of luck Roy. Personally, I was about to order this G-TAB from aliexpress a week ago, but Thanks to God I stumbled upon this website . Have to be cautious from now on.
Secondly, I have seen Simon Hans other products (except the G-tab and Intel atom 10'' Tablet pc .. which are going awfully cheap), to be sold at their normal prices and with a good transaction history. I have also dropped an email to him but no reply yet. That said, Aliexpress is by far the most reliable chinese trade marketplace, better than Dhgate and globalsources.
Perhaps he's selling it off cheap when shackles pulled the G-TAB off their shelves due to early software issue or rejection issues and somehow VS sold their g-tabs to China due to rejection and to cover its break-up cost.
Anyways, I am more concerned that you and hope you get your G-TAB
Since they hold payment in escrow untill I"m in receipt of tablets not to concerned. Just disappointed that it did not work. But thats life, just wait for another good deal around the corner. If this turns out alright and I did not try I would be more disappointed in myself for missing it.
Roy

[Q] What on earth is the TF700?

So I've been planning to purchase a transformer prime TF-201 for a while, and I was going to purchase it within the next few weeks. Now I'm finding information on this TF-700, whatever it is, but not enough to understand if it's a replacement or an upgrade or what?
Does anyone know about it?
Any details helpful
Cheers!
here: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Transformer+Pad+Infinity&l=1
Basically it is a Transformer Prime that will have a higher resolution screen, 3G/LTE in some models and a slightly higher price tag. It also has a partially plastic back panel which should improve GPS and WiFi performance.
Is it worth waiting for? I'm a student, any information on the price range yet?
joncy92 said:
Is it worth waiting for? I'm a student, any information on the price range yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will also have gorilla glass 2 on it. Price range being thrown around is $599 for 32gb and $699 for 64gb.
The processor is supposed to be a little faster and a higher resolution front facinf camera. It may not get as long of life for the battery, but the higher resolution, improved glass and hopefully better GPS and WIFI are a go for me.
I liked everything about my Prime except it seemed like the glass wasn't up to snuff, mine scratched while docked and also started micro cracking along the black bezel. So I sent it back waiting on this now.
joncy92 said:
Is it worth waiting for? I'm a student, any information on the price range yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not till end of June or july. Price, supposedly starts at $599 for 32gb wifi model. lte model much more expensive. Likely $699+data plan.
Prime is more than worth getting now. its the better deal.
I don't see the need for that high resulotion on a 10,1 tablet. The battery life will probably get worse unless they put in a bigger one. That's what apple had to do with the new lolpad anyway
I do however see the point of the plastic cover making wifi and gps better. I don't have any wifi issues myself on my "c2" prime but gps is not that good. But i don't use it anyway. Got gps built into my car and if i'm on foot looking for something i just use my phone
joncy92 said:
Is it worth waiting for? I'm a student, any information on the price range yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on when you need a tablet, and if you need a higher resolution screen or 3g/LTE.
If you need/want a tablet right now, the Transformer Prime is excellent. If you don't it might be worth waiting for. The WiFi model is allegedly going to start off at $599 for the 32GB model, which would make the 64GB model priced at around $699.
The 3G/LTE models will probably start off at $699 for the 32GB model and go up from there. There is no solid info on what networks the 3G/LTE models will be compatible with and if they are carrier exclusive that will affect the price.
The TF Infinity is rated at 9 hours of battery life, instead of the 10 that the Prime is rated for. Also it will be pushing more pixels with only a slightly updates processor so performance wise it might be a little bit slower (WiFi model, anyway).
If Price is an issue, Asus is also releasing the Transformer Pad 300 which is nearly identical to the Prime, however it loses the Super IPS screen capability (its less bright at maximum screen brightness) and comes with only 16GB of internal storage. It also comes in brighter colors (red, blue & white) has a plastic back (which will improve WiFi and GPS) and a price tag expected to start at $399.
Nobody mentioned it is also a different proccesor.
It runs a 2 core snapdragon (if I remember right).
That brings up other issues.
I know the difference between 2 cores at "x" speed can be as fast or faster than 4 cores at "x" speed IF the code is written to take advantage of it. Remember that the 5 core Nvidia Tegra platform has a lot of support so I am hesitant to say this new one will be as fast.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
scrufy said:
Nobody mentioned it is also a different proccesor.
It runs a 2 core snapdragon (if I remember right).
That brings up other issues.
I know the difference between 2 cores at "x" speed can be as fast or faster than 4 cores at "x" speed IF the code is written to take advantage of it. Remember that the 5 core Nvidia Tegra platform has a lot of support so I am hesitant to say this new one will be as fast.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Supposedly wifi models still have Tegra3 while it's the lte models that have the s4
Where din you get the info about it being launched only in June-July? I am currently looking around for a tablet and I am oscillating between the TF201, the iPad3 and the TF700T and I would go for the latter but only if I can buy it around May...
You have to guarantee that the TF-700 is really going to be released in June/July. If I remember correctly the TF-201 was supposed to be released in November, but it wasn't really available in the UK until February. If this happens again, you might have to wait until September/October for the new tablet.
Felisek said:
You have to guarantee that the TF-700 is really going to be released in June/July. If I remember correctly the TF-201 was supposed to be released in November, but it wasn't really available in the UK until February. If this happens again, you might have to wait until September/October for the new tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no gurantee, most are just guessing based on various info from various tech news site.
allex82 said:
Where din you get the info about it being launched only in June-July? I am currently looking around for a tablet and I am oscillating between the TF201, the iPad3 and the TF700T and I would go for the latter but only if I can buy it around May...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rumors indicated that the TF700T will be launched in the June/July time frame. However there has been no official word from Asus on the matter, and even if they are "released" in June/July they might be in very short supply for several months after that.
The TF Prime was technically released in November, but most retailers are just now starting to get a steady stock of them.
Felisek said:
You have to guarantee that the TF-700 is really going to be released in June/July. If I remember correctly the TF-201 was supposed to be released in November, but it wasn't really available in the UK until February. If this happens again, you might have to wait until September/October for the new tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in Portugal, same thing. only in February they started to be at stores.
Thanks for all the info guys.
To be honest I'm having trouble finding a prime in the UK anyway. I mean I'm in London and I can't even find a store with a bloody display model so I can play with it before I actually buy it. I can find it online without a problem usually but every bloody shop that sells the prime out here only has online delivery. Does anyone know of any shops in London who hold stock in-store so I can use one?
Cheers.
only if you have a Gamestop store that carries tablets. possibly Bestbuy should have them. maybe an office depot.
demandarin said:
not till end of June or july. Price, supposedly starts at $599 for 32gb wifi model. lte model much more expensive. Likely $699+data plan.
Prime is more than worth getting now. its the better deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely second that thought. Prime is the undisputed king of tablets right now and by the time TF700 comes out, the competition will be much tougher (other Tegra3 tablets or windows tablets). There are a lot of uncertainties coming with the TF700 also. No guarantee on the exact launch date, and like everybody mentioned, Asus is quite inacurate when it comes to precise dates. No guarantee that the battery life will be as awesome. No guarantee that the plastic cover will totally erase the issues with GPS and Wifi performance.
joncy92 said:
Thanks for all the info guys.
To be honest I'm having trouble finding a prime in the UK anyway. I mean I'm in London and I can't even find a store with a bloody display model so I can play with it before I actually buy it. I can find it online without a problem usually but every bloody shop that sells the prime out here only has online delivery. Does anyone know of any shops in London who hold stock in-store so I can use one?
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Joncy...your best bet is to pop into a currys as they have them on display when theyu have stock and they should be ablt to check on their systems to see which shops have them in stock. PC World (same group) can also do the same, but for some reason the staff do not seem as interested or as helpful as the currys staff!!
I don't know if carphone warehouse shops have any on display in their shops but if there is one locally it might be worth a punt!!
The other option is to get one from ebuyer or Amazon and use the 7 days distance selling regs to try out the TFP...the trouble with this option is that it will cost you 500 sovs for the pleasure and given that amount of testing time you might be more tempted to keep it once you have played with it.
Remember there are far more happy punters out there than unhappy ones.
One little tip is that when booting for the first time you might think that there is light bleed (I did) but once it is fired up and displaying whatever, this is nowhere near so visible.
Good luck
Andy
demandarin said:
only if you have a Gamestop store that carries tablets. possibly Bestbuy should have them. maybe an office depot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh Demandarin ! I know you are trying to be helpful but please remember that the UK is not a state of the USA Over here on this side of the pond Gamestop are online only, bestbuy in the UK went tits up a while ago and office depot is also an online company.
ps Joncy there is a dedicated thread on pre-orders in the uk
joncy92 said:
Is it worth waiting for? I'm a student, any information on the price range yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest you wait for the 700. The 700 is going to replace the Prime no matter what other people tell you. For $100 more you are getting a higher res screen, option of LTE for another 100, and wifi and gps that actually function. If it weren't for Prime owners complaining, ASUS would've slipped the Prime under the rug like it never happened. There is no reason for ASUS to have so many lines of products with such minor differences.
Also, because of the aluminum backing, the Prime has significantly crippled wifi range. The range is weaker than my 3 year old Sony x10 phone. So if your University is like mine in which the wifi isn't the greatest everywhere on campus then that might become a problem.
xGary said:
I would suggest you wait for the 700. The 700 is going to replace the Prime no matter what other people tell you. For $100 more you are getting a higher res screen, option of LTE for another 100, and wifi and gps that actually function. If it weren't for Prime owners complaining, ASUS would've slipped the Prime under the rug like it never happened. There is no reason for ASUS to have so many lines of products with such minor differences.
Also, because of the aluminum backing, the Prime has significantly crippled wifi range. The range is weaker than my 3 year old Sony x10 phone. So if your University is like mine in which the wifi isn't the greatest everywhere on campus then that might become a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For students, I would think the TF300 might be more probably price range.

Worth the upgrade and where?

Hi,
I am sure you have had many of these questions asking if it is worth the upgrade and if I can get it for around $100 more somewhere then I would think it is worth the upgrade. But the problem is I live on that little pacific island of Australia where ASUS has decided that they will only bring the 64GB with dock model. I read it somewhere and not entirely sure if it is true but if it was I would not be buying from Australia. My question is where would I be able to easily import one which wouldn't cost too much. Amazon never seem to ship many electronics overseas other than there own and would it be a bit risky because of faults and not been able to take it to the store.
thanks,
Just saw that it will be the same price as the prime, $499 which means about $599 out here in Australia. This is requiring that I get a refund for my dodgy tablet and the rumor about the 64gb model been the only one to come to Australia.
From what I have heard, it has been slightly delayed in Australia and may get a price increase...
http://www.gforgames.com/gadgets/as...lease-date-pushed-back-in-some-markets-21932/
Yes, I have seen that too so it looks like my best option would be to go for an import. But who from the US preferably ships to Australia?
Well, since I'm in Holland I would not exactly be the local expert in grey imports for Australia but as far as the technical side is concerned, there'd probably be two main questions:
1) do you need the screen real estate, to watch movie perhaps, or other graphical files? If so, the Infinity would obviously be a definite upgrade.
2) Do you suffer from bad wifi reception? If so, ditto to above.
From the few playthroughs I've had with the Prime, it doesn't really lose out on anything compared to the Infinity in real-life use. It is about as snappy, and maybe even snappier, and it carries the same dock and has slightly better battery life. I wanted the bigger screen, and ASUS Netherlands doesn't exactly have a commendable reputation when it comes to RMAs (regarding wifi connectivity issues on the Prime), so I was too much of a coward to dive into the Prime at this point. Plus I really like the option of HD.
Off-topic: the videos I play for my kids at bedtime sometimes now come out at about the size of a postal stamp, LOL. Who needs an optometrist for testing kids' eyesight?
Well I am pretty happy with my prime but just the idea of having an awesome screen, better wifi, gps and the edges aren't as tapered so its better for the cheging connector and hdmi. I am just weighing up my options if I get the option for a refund on my Prime.
Also, where has everyone that already has their Infinity got their's from, I can't find a supplier anywhere at all.

Where would be a good place to buy one of these?

I currently have an ASUS Zenpad Z300M 10.1 inch tablet, and it is a nice little budget tablet that is great for watching shows and movies, reading books and comics, and surfing the web but it is increasingly looking like it is never going to get an Android 9 update. I have been looking at this Nvidia Shield tablet and I think it looks pretty good, I have a desktop PC with an ancient Nvidia graphics card that still gets updates and it's been good to me, and I'm wanting a tablet I can play some of the better Android games on - and since Nvidia is already so connected to gaming I'm thinking it might be good for a gaming tablet. I looked around Amazon for one of these and didn't find much. What would be a good place (online only) where I can buy one of these at a decent price?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
I found mine on fb marketplace for $200, used like new condition. I've seen similar deals on there before I finally bought this one. Of course, trolling ebay and craigslist is always an option as well. Good luck in your search!
Hi there bloodredskies. I've seen several different models come and go, and my personal advice (in addition to that from GreeveDogg) is to set up saved searches on both eBay and Swappa.com.
I've seen a number of WiFi models as well as WiFi + LTE models go by because of that. With saved searches (or "subscriptions" as they're called at Swappa) you'll get emailed when a new listing is created.
From what I've seen eBay can be ok, however there's a lot less junk at Swappa.
Thank you both for the info! Haven't heard much about Swappa before, looks like I'll have to check it out.

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