# Why do you have a smartphone?



## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

I've been hearing about some pretty cool apps for smartphones and am trying to talk myself into getting one. It'd be cool to have, but I can't decide if I'll use it enough to justify the cost. 

Help me out. What do you use your smartphone for?


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I like being able to get my work email and do my banking.  I travel during the week and I don't always have my laptop handy.  I also stay connected to KB.  And I LOVE Words with Friends.
deb


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Why do I have one?  Because being fully connected from anywhere at any time proved critical one night when my husband was in the ER.  I was able to retrieve information that I couldn't cudgel up from my panicked brain about his doctors, meds, allergic reactions, etc.  I was able to get in touch with the right people to get him the treatment he needed faster.  And for the week of hospitalization that followed I was able to keep in touch with my work, his work, family and friends around the world, without access to a computer and without wifi.  The smartphone that week, BTW, was his barely three month old iPhone--I thought until that point they were a pointless luxury.

How I use mine on an everyday, non emergency basis is another point entirely.  Like most things, if you want to justify the additional expense, it's pretty easy to do.  Mine is primarily a way to do better at staying in touch with friends and family--texts, emails, Facebook.  But it's also the most amazing reference mechanism I could imagine short of having the Library of Congress in my head and having perfect recall.  It functions as my post it note stack for keeping track of small things, my to do list, my calendar, a calculator/tape measure/level that's always with me.    It's a portable inventory of where to get the best prices on things that actually uses the camera as a bar code scanner to help me find stuff.  It's my GPS unit and map book, so I no longer get lost.  It tracks my flights when I travel, letting me know what gate I'll be at and oh BTW, where the nearest coffee is in relation to that gate.    Going to the mall for just one thing and in a hurry?  Right, here's the map of the entire building, including the handy "you are here" dot.

It's also an amazing point and shoot camera.  Hubby's stopped carrying a second one for most things.  Not only does it take good pics on its own, but I can edit them right on the phone, and upload them back to either the computer or the web without a cable if I want to.  

And of course, from an entertainment perspective, all my music is on there; even a couple of audiobooks and for some folks, a movie or two. It's also a smaller, lighter version of my Kindle--and yes, I do read on it more than I thought I would.  

We currently have two iPhone 4 models, having upgraded from the original iPhone this past summer.  I literally can no longer imagine trying to function without one.  For those who think an iPod Touch is just as good--Public wifi is NOT secure and not always available, and it's no substitute for having a 3G connection.  I wouldn't dream of doing half of what I do outside of my home wifi network if I had to rely on wifi out in the world to get it done.  I'd never get the use out of a Touch that I do out of my iPhone.

Having said all that, the rate plans are definitely not cheap, so you need to KNOW you're going to use it (and that coverage is good in your area) before you commit.


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## Guest (Jan 30, 2011)

1.








2. Internet Access


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm away from a computer for much of the day and my smartphone allows me to keep track of my schedule (automatically syncs with the calendar on my computer), I can get e-mail wherever I am (and they're often important e-mails about class or work), and I can keep track of my ebay auctions, bank account balance, everything. 

Oh, and what Jason said. That game is ADDICTIVE.


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## bce (Nov 17, 2009)

It's my memory.

First started using a palm pilot and switched to a smart phone because:

1) Four soccer and basketball team schedules to track.
2) Six sets of doctors/dentists appointments.
3) Five medical histories to be able to recall in case of accident.
4) My wife did daycare so we had to keep track of emergency numbers for all of her clients plus some medical histories for a couple of them.

After that I found out that I could:
1) Read on it.  Read lots of classics on those little screens until the Kindle and apps came out.  Then I could read current things.  Could have on those other readers as well, but the DRM was too restrictive and I didn't think the companies would be around long enough.
2) Play games on them.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I may be one of the few who regrets upgrading to a smart phone.  While I can do all sorts of cool things on it (that I rarely do), it isnt a very good phone.  My next phone will be a phone first.  I always have my iPad and usually have a PSP, iPod, etc with me so for me I just dont use those extra functions enough to warrant a below average phone feature.  And I love gadgets so people who know me couldnt believe I hadnt upgraded and now that I dont like it.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

KindleChickie said:


> I may be one of the few who regrets upgrading to a smart phone. While I can do all sorts of cool things on it (that I rarely do), it isnt a very good phone. My next phone will be a phone first. I always have my iPad and usually have a PSP, iPod, etc with me so for me I just dont use those extra functions enough to warrant a below average phone feature. And I love gadgets so people who know me couldnt believe I hadnt upgraded and now that I dont like it.


Which phone did you get and what service do you have?


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

KindleChickie said:


> I may be one of the few who regrets upgrading to a smart phone. While I can do all sorts of cool things on it (that I rarely do), it isnt a very good phone. My next phone will be a phone first. I always have my iPad and usually have a PSP, iPod, etc with me so for me I just dont use those extra functions enough to warrant a below average phone feature. And I love gadgets so people who know me couldnt believe I hadnt upgraded and now that I dont like it.


That's not all that uncommon an issue as well, from what I've heard. I was lucky, I think, my cheap and free "dumb phones" weren't all that great, and just about the time I switched was the point when AT&T went from analog to digital in my area. So I had a dumbphone on digital for just a couple of months before I went to my first iPhone. For me, both iPhones have made better phones than my current land line wireless handset--but that thing is also a POS that hasn't been worth upgrading.

I'm sorry to hear you don't like yours! Have you talked with your carrier about other options? I know with AT&T, you have 30 days to return the phone and void the contract without penalty.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Victoria P gave a pretty good answer, but I am an evangelist for these things, so I'll throw in my bit as well.

For me, I had a Palm Pilot (or something similar) starting in about 1998, so I've had some sort of portable information device on my person for a long time.  The smart phone made it connected, and gave us specialized apps (there were some apps available for the old Palm devices, but I never used them) which made the devices considerably more capable.

Even on my Palm Pilot, I kept a schedule, a to-do list, plus an information bank.  I used to use the "memo" ability to write short notes to myself about anything I thought I might want to remember later.  I might hear a presentation about widgets and write a note that said "left-handed widgets are available from Jones Corp., phone number BR-549, good sales rep is Fred, avoid Mary as a sales rep, Model 432 widget may be good for my purposes".  Then a year later, I might have finally had money or need to buy a widget, then I'd search my device for the word widget, find that memo, and have all that information available.  When I met people who I might not see again for awhile, and put them in my contact list, I'd put notes about particular areas of expertise, their spouse's name, or special stuff about them that I wanted to remember as a note attached to the contact that I'd read before I spoke to them again.  I do the same sorts of things with my smart phone, but now I keep the notes in an app called "Evernote" so that the notes are stored on the internet and can be accessed from my phone, my iPad, or a desktop computer, plus I can take photographs of documents or important signs, car accident damage (not yet, thank goodness) and put them in Evernote for future reference also.  I used to keep one ongoing memo of books to read that I'd add to or mark books off of as needed, but now the Amazon wish list covers that.  Speaking of Amazon, when I found a used book in a used bookstore, I've popped onto Amazon to see if I could order the book more cheaply from Amazon!  Same with other stuff in stores.

Think how useful Google is for looking things up, and imagine having that capability with you everywhere you go.  Even waaaay back in 2001 or so, I had a feature phone with some internet capabilities, and I remember feeling like I was in Star Trek when I visited Florida with a friend and I used the internet to look up the weather forecast and tide tables for a destination in Florida while we whizzed over the ocean on highway US 1 on the way to Key West (she was driving!).  With the internet, Google Maps, and some more specialized apps, I can be in a strange place and look up the location, hours, and user reviews of a restaurant, museum, store, or what have you and easily call them to ask a question if needed, then use the built-in GPS to give me directions there.  Speaking of which, even some times when I was on foot and didn't think of myself as traveling, having a GPS in my pocket at all times has been useful when we got "confused" going to a destination.

I have unlimited entertainment in my pocket as others have mentioned.  Music, video (both that I've stored and can get on the internet), podcasts, and games.  I can keep up on the news/blogs/internet forums which is sometimes useful for the real world/business, and sometimes just entertainment.

Once I met my parents for lunch and they bought along a couple of guests, including one that I didn't know.  The one I didn't know had a name that sounded familiar.  I "went to the bathroom" for a moment, looked him up, and found that he had been imprisoned for fraud for a couple of years and had been in the news!  True story, but he didn't try to defraud anyone during our lunch and was a perfect gentleman!

My hobby is nature photography and I often travel to do it.  I have a couple of field guides in my phone for easy reference, one of them helps me identify birds or insects by checking off distinguishing features (shape, color, etc.) on a list, entering my location and what month it is, and it gives me a short list of birds or insects that can be found in that area at that time and meet those characteristics.  Or I can just look at photos and written info on wildlife.  I have an app that gives me sunrise and sunset times for my current location (or a different one if I want), apps that do photography calculations or information (I don't use them that much, but they are always available if I need them), and I've used the satellite photos in Google Maps when I was thinking of making a quick side trip to an unexpected destination to decide whether I'll be able to get a good view of a lighthouse for instance, from the right direction during sunset.

There are all sorts of apps to do a great many things, as you've heard.  It's not the most important by any means, but my favorite is one that I use as an alarm clock, which wakes me up by greeting me (in spoken words) with any message or reminder I told it to give, plus reads off all the events on my calendar for the day, and automatically reads the current weather forecast.  Again, that makes me feel like I am in Star Trek!

Okay, end of gushy Evangelizing.


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

I used to sport a blackberry, now I've switched to Android.  I'm not a big app person.  I'll download the occasional one as I think of them but I won't spend hours of my day shopping for new ones.  

I need a smartphone for my work.  I keep my entire schedule on my phone and I utilize the email feature constantly.  I'm a musician, so I'm constantly out and about doing gigs or teaching at different sites.  It's convenient for me to be easily reached in case a student has to cancel or reschedule.  

Plus, I have to stay on top of emails or I would be in major trouble.  Prospective clients want my info, current students want to change their lesson time, they forgot what it was they were supposed to practice... the list goes on.  Point being, that I can quickly reply to short questions while I'm out which helps keep things to a dull roar.  Long emails I still wait until I'm at a computer because I find thumb writing to be exhausting.

As a previous poster mentioned, you should get one already knowing exactly what you'd use it for.  Especially if money being spent is a concern.  But I know plenty of people who just have them as accessory items


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

I own a bookkeeping firm and we move pretty fast, believe it or not. Being able to respond to my team's emails as well as client emails saves everyone time and energy (and, frankly, me money). My schedule is my life's blood and it's kept on there (we use google calendar actually, so my assistant can keep up with my schedule on her end easily and it syncs beautifully). I also use the GPS, how I got around without it for years I'll never know, that thing is probably the single thing that has saved my bacon over and over again. Text messaging to coordinate with friends and my husband and my clients, I'm a pretty heavy text user. It's my alarm clock too.

I have the HTC Evo with Android on it, it has a fabulous 8 megapixel camera. I don't lug around my big one anymore unless it's a special occasion and I want really nice photos.

I also use the QR reader, the web, latitude to know if a friend is nearby for lunch, foursquare because I'm a dork, Pandora is basically the only radio I use anymore, I also use it for Facebook and Twitter, Google Talk... and of course, Angry Birds, Wordwise (Words with Friends is on my Touch which is all it's used for these days), Shop Savvy, Fruit Ninja, Paper Toss, AND mine is a hotspot. FABULOUS for when I need to use my netbook for something. Mine has a flashlight app which I use every night to get to bed without waking the husband, an addictive little game called Traffic Jam and last, but not least, my Kindle app. I keep something on there to read slowly. Right now, it's Phantom of the Opera. 

I also keep Math practice apps on there for my kids. When they are bored and haven't done their math minutes for school, I had them my phone. They get to play any of the variety of useless games I have on there if they practice their math for 10 minutes. 

Also Swype for the keyboard. AWESOMENESS.

I'm a pretty recent Android convert. I'd been using Palm products since the Visor (which was when it was just a PDA and you had to use graffiti to write). I went through all the Palm products, most recently the Treo and the Pre. LOVE my Android though. I use a lot of Google products and it's so amazingly seamless. LOVE.

... and yes, if I lose my phone I'm completely lost. It's my brain.


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## Chris Barraclough (Jan 25, 2011)

Email and 'net is the short answer. Angry Birds won't run on my ancient HTC Magic, so I'm stuck with Bejeweled, which luckily is ridiculously addictive.

Aldiko's a great little ebook app, you can get all the classics for free as with the Kindle.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

I have one because it's easier to text on it, I can surf the web when I'm sitting somewhere bored out of my mind, I can play games, check Facebook, email, etc.

What I never use it for, though...phone calls.
I hate phone calls.


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## angelmum3 (Sep 12, 2010)

DH needed one for work - he became an independent contractor (software engineer) as well as he always carried the palm pilot type of devices for all his work, and volunteer work -

he bought me one because I thought it was 'cool' - and I do love it as a substitute teacher I cant connect to the internet as often as I can the iphone - so I've often googled an answer to a question from the class (my favorite is mac help btw, some of those jr hi kids can be quite sneaky at locking up their laptops and thus try to pull the "i cant do my work, look" so yes, the iphone has helped me there quite a bit!!

I also love having my music, again, as a sub I use it for those "down" times - when waiting in line for the gym teacher etc - at Christmas they had a few songs for their assembly - Up on the Rooftop, 12 Days of Christmas, so it was nice I had the music on my iphone for them -

I also use the stop watch to time their fact tests (and I love uploading my own music and having different ringtones - www.myxer.com has free ringtones - some are really funny, some are just short songs that I have - example - from Wicked)

Also like a PP stated, my DD has downloaded aps to help her with her school work - the latest was the periodical table -

*Hooded Claw* that alarm ap sounds interesting - does it drain the power from the battery? I have an alarm clock ap that I found from kindleboards ap forum - and I do love it, but I've noticed a faster drain on my battery when I've used it.

I also have an ap that may drain the battery as well, that I dont use, but have heard, its a running ap RunKeeper, has lots of great applications that I have yet to try out...

I also like reading newspapers on the iphone!

and we no longer have a landline thanks to the great service in our area!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Aside from the fact that I'm a nerd and a geek, my reasons for having a smartphone (iPhone 4) are the same as most of the aforementioned ones. I used Palm Pilots before smartphones  were around, but it didn't take me long to make the switch. I can't imagine not having my smartphone with me at all times (the same way that I always have my Kindle with me).


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Speaking of Amazon, when I found a used book in a used bookstore, I've popped onto Amazon to see if I could order the book more cheaply from Amazon! Same with other stuff in stores.


Just today, we were in Target and saw a board game we have been thinking about getting for our bi-weekly game night -<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Haywire-Group-DICEcapades/dp/B003TYUO5A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1296428914&sr=8-3">DICEcapades</href>. It was in the "Featured Game" space but without a price tag. I took it to a scanner and it rang up for $25.99. I couldn't find it on the shelf to see what the normal price was, so I got my Droid out, went to the Amazon app and looked it up. Amazon sells it for $27.99. Wasn't that much of a feature for us to get it today.

DH and I have brainstormed on car trips and added items to our young son's Amazon wish list on our phone.

When I was sent for training, I downloaded a white noise app, in case I needed it to help me sleep. I usually don't, but hey, you never know...

I had a Palm Pilot or two and always stopped using them after a month or so. But I always have my phone with me, so I am using it.

Technically, I guess we have a landline, we signed up for the VoIP from our cable company. But we rarely give out that number. We have to look it up if we do. But the little guy will be starting Kindergarden next year and while I don't think kids that young make phone calls, he's not using Mommy and Daddy's phones to call his friends. Plus our cell phones aren't a local number to where we live now - further from our work places.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

4Katie said:


> I've been hearing about some pretty cool apps for smartphones and am trying to talk myself into getting one. It'd be cool to have, but I can't decide if I'll use it enough to justify the cost.
> 
> Help me out. What do you use your smartphone for?


I had the chance to inherit an iPhone and handed it back. I don't need more distractions in my life and while they seem cool, I think people are spending too much time texting/e-mailing/talking on their phones and not paying attention to things around them.


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## Bakari (May 25, 2010)

1. Pandora app (radio)
2. Netflix app
3. walking weights (because I can't fit it into my pockets or refuse to do so)
4. Twitter (twitter.com/Jiujitsu365 and twitter.com/DrAkil)
5. If my internet goes down for some reason

I barely use if for what it was made for and that is to call people.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

angelmum3 said:


> *Hooded Claw* that alarm ap sounds interesting - does it drain the power from the battery? I have an alarm clock ap that I found from kindleboards ap forum - and I do love it, but I've noticed a faster drain on my battery when I've used it.


The one I'm using that reads to you is "good morning", by "flywheel" (there are a couple of apps with that name or similar ones, the flywheel one has the little icon that looks like a blue and yellow flower or umbrella). I know of no particular battery drain to it. I understand it doesn't play well with task killers (I don't use a task killer, and haven't since just a few weeks after I got my android, so I can't say for sure). The only gripe I have about it (and it is a minor one) is that if you use a song for an alarm (it allows you to pick any mp3 file on your phone for the alarm sound) the song keeps playing in the background while it reads your calendar and weather to you. So I just use the voice reading to me as my alarm. There is a free version that works fine, but I got the paid version for a few bucks to get a few more features and support the developer (who continues to develop and improve the app in small ways).

http://www.appbrain.com/app/good-morning/com.flywheelsoft.goodmorning


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

scarlet said:


> I don't need more distractions in my life and while they seem cool, I think people are spending too much time texting/e-mailing/talking on their phones and not paying attention to things around them.


That definitely can happen, and I'm sure I've been guilty of it at times. I certainly use mine as a distraction sometimes, but I also use it to enhance my ability to do stuff at work and when I travel. But it is a danger, for sure! Way back before PCs had been thought of, I used to carry a book around with me and had to deal with the same temptation (and I often didn't deal with it successfully then, either).


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## John Dax (May 21, 2010)

The kindle app on my smartphone has easily doubled the amount of reading I get done, simply being able to dip into novels while waiting in lines, etc. is incredibly useful to me. 

The ability to send text messages easier and check email is nice, but truly the kindle app and Angry Birds are the cornerstone of my smartphone experience.

Sometimes I make phone calls, too.


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## J Dean (Feb 9, 2009)

scarlet said:


> I had the chance to inherit an iPhone and handed it back. I don't need more distractions in my life and while they seem cool, I think people are spending too much time texting/e-mailing/talking on their phones and not paying attention to things around them.


Give that woman a cigar!

Smartphones are like any other technology: in proper and moderate use, they're great. But self-control needs to be exercised as well.


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

I always thought of smartphones as overkill, since I already own a whole stack of laptops, but now that I have one I can't imagine going without. Just having internet access constantly is something I never considered until I had it -- I check movie times, get directions, check bus schedules, google random facts and play Words with Friends far more often than I actually use the phone. The camera rivals my dedicated digital one enough that I never bother to carry that anymore either.


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

I've a Galaxy Tab that works as a phone, though like Thumper I hardly ever make phone calls.  I didn't think I needed one, but my husband got an Android phone (Galaxy S), and I found myself admiring it. I was going to get an eReader, but decided on the Tab instead. I use it for checking my email, for GPS, for looking things up. I also use it as an eReader. I don't use it nearly as much as some of the other posters, but it's nice to be able to read something whenever I'm out-and-about and find myself with time on my hands.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

mattyoungmark said:


> I always thought of smartphones as overkill, since I already own a whole stack of laptops, but now that I have one I can't imagine going without. Just having internet access constantly is something I never considered until I had it -- I check movie times, get directions, check bus schedules, google random facts and play Words with Friends far more often than I actually use the phone. The camera rivals my dedicated digital one enough that I never bother to carry that anymore either.


lol - I'd talked myself out of getting one until I read this!


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

It was the monthly service charge that kept me away for so long, but now it's just part of the cost of existing, like paying my utility bill or something.

COME TO THE DARK SIDE, 4KATIE.


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## carl_h (Sep 8, 2010)

I could probably come up with a ton of seemingly logical reasons, but it all boils down to one key factor....I'm just a geek


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

carl_h said:


> I could probably come up with a ton of seemingly logical reasons, but it all boils down to one key factor....I'm just a geek


That pretty much summarizes the reason that I have had smartphones for several years.


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## lonestar (Feb 9, 2010)

I got one when my daughter went away to college and we were texting all the time.  I wanted a keyboard.  I like using it for keeping all my lists and my schedule all in one place.  I frequently use my Blackberry to find information we need, directions, movie times and on and on.  I can do my banking, keep up with emails and have a place to keep my passwords.  I have an app that turns the flash into a flashlight and I love that.  Since my phone is always with me I have these things available to me at all times.  I do get wrapped up sometimes but I don't carry my schedule book or note pad with me anymore and that is great.


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## div (Aug 25, 2010)

I primarily use mine to get business emails and to keep in touch with customers. Also for the Texas Hold 'em....


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## J Dean (Feb 9, 2009)

Makes you wonder if anybody will ever invent a "dumbphone".


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