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Posts Tagged ‘Branded USB Memory’

Branded Memory Sticks

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Fiscal budgets are tightening as the economic recession begins to dictate how quickly a business grows. If your company is experiencing a decrease in sales, it likely also means you have less to spend on advertising. One way to generate more revenue in lean times is to offer branded merchandise to customers. Branded memory sticks allow companies to advertise their products of services through client interaction with other people.

There are a number of factors to consider when placing an order for branded memory sticks. What capacity will you require for your design? How will your memory stick look? What information will you want on your finished design? How many memory sticks will you need? How many different colors will you want? Let’s examine these individually for a better understanding.

The storage capacity of memory sticks is growing rapidly. It wasn’t so long ago when 32MB flash drives for digital cameras were considered state-of-the-art. These days it is not uncommon to see 120GB solid-state drives available as portable hard drives.

For a promotional item, however, a general range of storage capacity is more likely to range between 128 MB and 8GB. What you decide to offer your customers will depend on how much you want to spend and how many sticks you decide to order. As with any other bulk purchase, vendors will give discounts for those who want larger quantities.

The amount of space available will likely determine how much information you will have on your pieces. In general, a company name or logo, along with a contact number, physical address, and e-mail address may be all you’ll have room for. These are the simplest details that allow customers to reach you for more information about who you are and what you do.

What do you want your branded memory sticks to look like? Your line of business may help you decide. There are gadget and novelty models shaped like popular objects like cell phones, padlocks, action figures, bottles, and mp3 players. There are material types to consider, like plastic, metal, or some combination of both. There is a wide range of colors available, and some designs allow for multi-color designs.

There are even eco-friendly drives that use 100% recycled plastic shells.

No matter who your supplier is, most of the physical product will be shipped from overseas, since only a few major manufacturers in Asia produce the core electronics in branded memory sticks. Often enough, the custom designs are then applied through a third party and shipped to the individuals who order them.

In summary, the core marketing power of branded memory sticks are what make them so appealing. The sturdy devices fit inside a pocket or briefcase, and allow customers to store computer files and important information when they’re away from home.

This convenience, when presented as a promotional gift item, is the kind of goodwill customer service that will make that person eager to praise your community spirit. They will tell friends a little about their (hopefully) positive experience with you, and recommend them as a product or service provider to their friends.

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Branded Memory Sticks

Current Trends for Branded USB Drives

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

The popularity of branded USB drives among retail businesses and corporations has created a market for applications, services, and initiatives from suppliers that make the devices more useful and user-friendly. What follows is a brief description of some of these utilities and offerings designed to expand the diversity of USB devices.

Some companies use flash drives to help market their core services, like eMotion Picture Studios, a Canadian video production company that operates out of Ontario. As an extension of the high-quality marketing videos they create for clients, the company offers thumb drives with custom-printed logos and messages. Like many other providers of branded USB drives, eMotion pre-loads files on the drive for easy recall on end-user computers.

Concern for the environment is another popular cultural trend that has impacted businesses in every sector of the marketplace. The development of “eco-friendly” materials and organic processes is now a factor in the business models of virtually every manufacturer who creates a tangible product.

Because of this, companies like Shumsky Enterprises are creating a wide range of “green” products whose fabrication leaves behind little impact on the environment, including branded USB drives. By using biodegradable materials such as lead-free solder, these firms meet the standards of the European Union’s RoHS Directive, which limits ““the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.”

What began, then, as a simple promotional initiative designed to increase brand-name awareness and encourage repeat sales has turned into a more complete solution for the distribution of proprietary or competitive information. Though there are hazards and security measures associated with such file-sharing, pre-loading these files and utilities on flash drives is a cost-effective way to attract customer loyalty.

There are other challenges associated with this higher-level use of branded USB drives, particularly when file sharing takes place within universities, municipalities, and government institutions. Two important factors come to mind. Because the core electronics of such devices are exported from a handful of OEM suppliers overseas, the quality of flash drives may suffer due to cost concerns, for example.

Another aspect of portable flash drives involves data recovery. Inevitably, pre-loaded files on USB drives may accidentally be deleted or damaged during use. In other cases, the files most often used by clients may be corrupted by a computer virus or due to software or operating system incompatibility. As a preventive measure, some companies that distribute branded USB drives offer utilities like data recovery software that can repair or retrieve deleted files.

Depending on the application, in other words how your thumb drives are being used, this may be an extra step that offers a measure of protection for important documents or a convenience for user groups who access certain files most often.

As technology advances and workgroups become more comfortable with them, suppliers and users will develop sophisticated uses for flash drives. Although most people still consider them simply as handy portable storage for computers, the versatility of branded USB drives will continue to develop in the future.

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Current Trends for Branded USB Drives

If Your Data Is Valuable Protect It

Friday, July 31st, 2009

It was reported by the BBC on the 22nd July 2009 that three HSBC firms have been fined more than £3m for failing to adequately protect customers’ confidential details from being lost or stolen. The data was unencrypted and stored on floppy disks amongst other things. See the article, click here.

This is just the latest example of a high profile company and its their employees failing to take adequate measures to protect the personal data of their customers. With the increasing use of USB memory sticks to carry ever larger amounts of data around there is a growing need to inform and educate all those that use USB memory sticks on the benefits and the risks.

Some companies have now taken drastic steps and outlawed the use of USB memory sticks altogether. Whilst an understandable reaction it is not necessary when the implemtation of some basic security measures and working practices would deal with the issue.

The first step is to ensure that where sensitive data is being stored onto a USB memory stick that it is password protected and encrypted.

USB2U today announce the launch of a new slim, metal USB memory stick that can be engraved with your companies logo but more importantly if you have sensitive data, can password protect and encrypt and data loaded onto the memory stick. The encryption level is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256) an encryption standard adopted by the U.S. government. The standard comprises three block ciphers, AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256 and is highly secure.

To unencrypt the data you need to use a password (defined by the user). You only have a limited number of attempts to use the password before you are timed out. You can even set the USB stick up so that it “shreds” the data after a given number of failed attempts. If the USB Memory stick is taken apart and attempts are made to read the data directly from the flash chip the data will still be encrypted.

This new product is called SecureX and its available in a range of memory sizes up to 16GB

SecureX

SecureX

So, if you are thinking of branded USB Memory sticks but you’re concerned about the sensitivity of data stored on the stick they don’t abandon the idea just ensure you buy a memory stick with on-board security.



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If Your Data Is Valuable Protect It

Branded USB Sticks Price Hike as Apple Place $500m Order

Friday, July 31st, 2009

To secure supplies of Flash Memory Chips used in iPhones, most iPods and many of its laptops Apple has agreed a half-billion dollar deal with Toshiba Corp for the supply of flash memory chips.

Toshiba is the world’s second largest supplier of flash memory. Similar sized deals have also been reached with Samsung who are the  world’s largest supplier of Flash Memory Chips.

Whilst this is good news for Toshiba and Samsung and it allows then to ramp up their production plants again it will mean that buyers of flash chips on the spot market (this includes many of the factories that produce branded and promotional USB Memory sticks) are being told that supply will be hard to come by.

With reduced supply in the market but demand unabated the classic economic laws of “supply and demand” will kick in and in the short term at least the price of flash will increase.

So, if you are looking to buy branded USB Memory Sticks be prepared for some short term volatility in pricing and ideally book your orders now whilst there is still some flash at the old price available.

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Branded USB Sticks Price Hike as Apple Place $500m Order

Protecting Data on Branded USB Memory Stick

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

If you’ve just invested in some branded USB memory sticks to support your marketing and advertising activities then you’re probably thinking about pre-loading data onto the memory stick. After all, it makes sense to use the available storage space on the memory stick to pre-load your product information, your sales data sheets, maybe some presentation files or perhaps just a link to your web site and some promotional movies.

USB Data Protection

If you’re using memory sticks as a way of distributing speakers’ notes and slides at a conference or seminar then it’s a must. No question, audiences at most seminars will be hoping for a USB memory stick with everything neatly stored on it rather than having to make their way home weighed down with a mass of paper.

It makes sense for you as well as the giver. By loading your files/data onto the memory stick you don’t have the printing costs and overheads. You don’t have to worry about making deadlines at the printers, it matters less if your speaker notes are delivered a little later than hoped for and you also don’t have to haul tons of printed-papers to your event.

But there are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself before you load data onto your branded USB Memory sticks:

  1. Do you want the recipient of the branded USB memory stick to be able to delete your data from the stick?If you don’t want the data deleted then you need to get the data loaded during the manufacturing process and “locked” on the stick. The downside with this is that you need to plan it and ensure you have factored the delivery of the data to the factory before the memory sticks are manufactured. There can be no last minute additions and you won’t be able to delete anything either. So for example if your CEO decides at the last minute he wants to change the content on the pre-loaded memory sticks he/you won’t be able to.But, if you’re not worried about the data being deleted by the user after its been read then last minute changes are easy albeit time consuming.
  2. Do you need to safeguard the pre-loaded data from falling into the wrong hands?If the information you have pre-loaded onto the memory sticks is confidential then you might want to consider encrypting and password protecting it. Again this can be done during manufacture and you have two basic options. One option is to simply prevent access to the data by means of a password challenge. The more sophisticated option is to protect access to the data by password but also to encrypt (scramble) any saved data.
  3. After you’ve loaded your data is there enough space left on the USB memory stick for the recipient to use it?If one of your objectives is to have your branded USB memory sticks used and as a consequence your brand promoted you need to leave a enough space on the memory stick for the user to add their own files. Particularly important if you have “locked” your own files on the memory stick so they cannot be deleted.

Finally remember that data loading done post manufacture is time consuming so whilst there are real benefits in doing it please plan ahead.

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Protecting Data on Branded USB Memory Stick

What’s The Most Popular Storage Capacity for Promotional USB Memory Sticks?

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Branded USB Memory sticks are becoming evermore popular for the transfer and storage of large amounts of data. This popularity is mainly due to their compact size, ease of use and the dramatic reduction in price over the past few years.

One of the key decisions to make when purchasing Branded USB Memory sticks in the storage capacity.

Before delving into which capacity to select a short technical overview as is useful to understand the measurement terminology used when defining memory capacity.

Electronic data is measured in ‘bytes’. Multiples of these are:

•      1 Kilobyte (KB) is equal to 1,024 bytes

•      1 Megabyte (MB) is equal to 1,024 Kilobytes (1,048,576 bytes)

•      1 Gigabyte (GB) is equal to 1,024 Megabytes (1,073,741,824 bytes)

Branded USB Memory sticks range from 32MB to 16GB. They double up in size from 32MB:

•      32MB (almost obsolete)
•      64MB
•      128MB
•      256MB
•      512MB
•      1GB
•      2GB
•      4GB
•      8GB
•      16GB

You need to be aware that all Promotional USB Memory sticks need a small amount of capacity to allow it them work. As a general rule of thumb around 5% of the storage capacity will be used by the Memory Stick to manage how it stores the data on the stick.

So, how much data can each stick hold? The amount of data that can be stored depends on the type of the data, such as MP3 audio files, digital photos, word files etc. and the quality for example the resolution of photos.  As a benchmark 512MB memory stick would typically store about 250 photos.

When deciding what capacity to select for your Branded USB Memory sticks you need to consider the following.

• What is the objective of your Promotional USB Memory stick campaign. If it is to provide specific data or information that is pre-loaded, then the size should match the amount of data to be loaded. If the requirement is to allow the user to use the Memory stick as a promotional keepsake, then there needs to be sufficient headroom over and above any data that you may wish to load.

• What budget do you have? The higher the capacity the higher the price. However, the price differential between a 64MB and 1GB is no longer that great.

• The market for flash memory is volatile and is driven by supply and demand. Therefore, it is worth checking if there are any special offers on different USB Memory capacity. For example it has been know for 512MB to be cheaper than 256MB.

• If the Branded USB Memory sticks are gifts for prospects or existing key clients, you need to consider the perceived value of the item you are giving. So if budget is limited it may be prudent to buy less of higher capacity Branded USB Memory sticks.

Based on the above criteria, currently the most popular capacity for Branded USB Memory sticks is 1GB, but watch this space!

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What’s The Most Popular Storage Capacity for Promotional USB Memory Sticks?

Top Ten Pitfalls Of Buying Promotional USB Memory Sticks

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Buying Branded USB Memory sticks should be a painless process and for the most part it is. However, there are numerous examples of where things have gone wrong – some real horror stories! However, the good news is that by asking the right questions and selecting the right supplier you can avoid most of these issues.

This guide illustrates the top ten pitfalls of buying Promotional USB Memory Sticks and how to avoid them.

Find a reputable supplier

There are many suppliers providing Branded USB Memory Sticks As with any industry the quality of the organisations varies widely. Whilst normal due diligence is always required, here are a few tips to help you with the process:

• It is always good practice to run a credit check to make sure your supplier is in good financial health. This is more important if you are being asked to pay upfront for the Branded USB Memory sticks.

Reputation speaks volumes. Don’t be afraid to ask for references and testimonials from their existing customer base and make contact. If they have provided excellent service levels, they will not be embarrassed to share their successes.

• Make sure there are full contact details on the web site including address and contact telephone numbers – and phone them!

• Ensure they are working from a business premises. There is a growing trend for individuals pertaining to be companies are working from home without the infrastructure to support you if things go wrong. An easy way to check this is by using Google Earth.

Hidden costs

When stating your requirements to a supplier be specific about your needs and ensure that they are all met by studying your quotation carefully. Ask for terms and conditions and be aware of payment terms and delivery date promises. For example some companies will charge extra for print and origination, so ensure that these are covered in the quotation.

Quality of Chipset / Housing

If you quote sounds to good to be true – then it probably is! The core cost of any Branded USB Memory Stick is made up of the USB Housing and USB Flash Chip components. There are ways of saving costs on these buy using poor quality housing and reconditioned USB Memory chips.   Both carry reputation risk for you or your client if things go wrong. So ensure you ask for a sample to check the housing quality and your supplier provides new branded A Grade chipsets such as Samsung, Hynix, Micron or Intel.

It is also worth asking what the manufacturer’s Quality Assurance testing procedure is.

Dataloads

To autorun or not to autorun that is the question! Many clients are faced with the dilemma of whether they should add an autorun facility to their promotional USB Promotional Memory Sticks.

An autorun facility allows users to insert a USB Branded Memory Stick and for the computer to automatically run a programme e.g. a movie file.

The advantages of this facility is that it ensures the user is presented with the information the client wants them to see, without having to find the information themselves. This makes is a very intuitive process and ensures the information on the USB Memory Stick is delivered. However there are some hidden pitfalls:

• Nuisance factor. If one of the objectives is to ensure that the USB Promotional Memory Stick is a keepsake that the end user will access on a regular basis then its worth bearing in mind that every time the user wants to access or save a document they will have to run through the dataload programme. Fine for the first few times, but thereafter they may find this an irritation and relegate the memory stick deep into a draw!

• Autoruns will not work on Win 98 or 2000 operating systems – beware there are still many users out there with these systems. You will also need to ensure that the appropriate code is written into any autorun for it to work on Mac operating systems.

• Some corporate firewalls restrict autoruns, so the danger is that the end user will never see the data.

There is a middle way, why not consider loading the data onto the USB Branded Memory Stick with an icon labelled ‘Click Here To Start’ and allow the user to access the data when they want.  This data can be protected so it would not be deleted, but overcomes may of the issues detailed above.

Proofs/screenshots

Many suppliers will mock up a visual of what the Promotional USB Memory Stick will look like before production. This does not always match the finished product. So ensure that the proof carries the colour pantone references and size of the logo. Some suppliers will provide a picture of a printed pre-production so you know exactly what you are going to get.

Shipping / Customs

Almost all Branded USB Memory sticks are manufactured in the Far East and as such need to pass through both Chinese / Taiwanese and UK Customs. For the vast majority of orders this is pretty seamless process. However, any consignment can be pulled for inspection and customs may request additional information. If a global brand is printed on the Promotional USB Memory sticks they may ask for written authentication from the end clients that the goods are not counterfeit.  Either way a custom check will delay your order from a few days to up to 3 weeks!

Returning goods / Warranties

Things go wrong! The mark of a good supplier is how they manage these issues. All Customised USB Memory Sticks should carry at least a 12 month warranty. Ensure your supplier stipulates this as part of their Terms and Conditions.  However, if the items need replacing it make take several weeks for the Branded USBs to be returned to the manufacturer and repaired or replaced.

Poor Packaging

Poor quality packaging can ruin a great looking USB Memory Stick. In particular the insert that holds the USB memory stick within a box needs to be of the same shape and size of the USB Branded Memory drive. Again the only solution is to have a sample of a box before you order.

Delivery Timeframe

Do not leave the ordering of Branded USB Memory sticks to the last minute unless you want to pay a premium for rush fees and limit your choice of what is available in the UK. Allow at least 2, ideally 3 weeks, from providing your supplier with the artwork, which kicks off the production process.

Quality Of Print

The printing of logos onto your Branded Memory stick is a real art form that at best makes a perfect reproduction of your logo at worst makes it look like real mess and something you would not want to associate your brand to. The typical printing process is spot or screen-printing. This is great for simple logos with up to 4 colours. However it cannot print tints, tones, complex logos or a logo with many colours. A new full colour printing process is now evolving allowing greater printing capabilities. Again if time permits ask for a pre-production printed sample and remove this potential pitfall.

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Top Ten Pitfalls Of Buying Promotional USB Memory Sticks

USB2U – Express Service

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Have you been given the task of sourcing Promotional USB memory sticks in a hurry, but keep getting quoted a 10-14 day turnaround? Have you been let down by another supplier? Or need Branded USB memory sticks for a show or event where the deadline will not move? If so, USB2U offers an Express Service for printed USB memory sticks!

The vast majority of Promotional USB memory sticks are manufactured in the Far East then shipped to the UK. The timeframe to proof, manufacturer and then to ship in (assuming there are NO customs delays) means that the typically turnaround is 10-14 days.

At USB2U we like to offer our customers a safety net by offering an Express Print and Delivery Service.  We keep stock of the most popular USB memory stick models in the UK and we can proof, print in up to 4 colours and delivery the entire job within 48 business hours. For those real emergencies we can even deliver the same day.

In addition, to our rapid printing we are able to upload your data files to your memory sticks, saving you another time consuming task.

All you need to do is provide us with the artwork and data files then just relax and we’ll do the rest.

Please call a member of our friendly team to discuss your requirements and obtain a quotation on 01604 685040 or email: trade@usb2u.co.uk

Express Service Overview in 3 steps:

Day 1: Place order / sign off visual proof
Day 2: USB2U prints your items / uploads your data
Day 3: Items delivered to your door or direct to your client

USB2U USB Twister
Twister: Our most popular model

Some of our customers’ comments:

“Amazed that the Branded USB Memory Sticks arrived so quickly – it got us out of a real fix”

“I ordered printed USB’s memory sticks on Wednesday afternoon and they were delivered on Friday morning – WOW – thanks”

“I was let down at the last minute by another supplier. USB2U were able to rescue our exhibition”

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USB2U – Express Service

Can you delete files from pre-loaded Promotional USB Memory sticks?

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Picture the scenario. You have just taken receipt of your bright new USB Branded Memory sticks for an event that is due to commence in 2 days. You load the first of the USB Memory Sticks into your PC and to your horror you discover that the data has been loaded incorrectly or there is an error with the original information provided.  Apart from putting a wet towel over you head what options do you have? He’s a list of things that may help:

USB Dataload

  1. Try to minimise the risk of this happening in the first place. Ensure your Custom USB supplier provides you with screen grabs of the data for sign off. Ideally ask for a pre-production sample of your Branded USB Memory sticks with the data preload. This way there little risk of any issues in the future.
  2. If the data is not protected or has an autorun. Then there are some easy solutions:

    • Delete the data from the memory sticks and re-load. Doing these individually is a painful and slow process and is not recommended for batches of over 100 units, unless you have an army of people to throw at this. This process is also prone to quality issues.

    • There are several data duplication companies in the UK that can take the Branded Memory sticks and format and reload the data relatively easily and quickly.  They can process up to 3000 memory sticks within a few hours. Job done.
  3. The nightmare scenario! If the memory sticks are data-protected or have an autorun it becomes far more complex. No surprise, as by the very nature the Promotional USB Memory Sticks are engineered to stop end users doing exactly what you want to do, namely delete and change the data. The software required to do this will be dependant on the controller that the Branded Memory Stick has been loaded with. The controller is the mini operating system that all USB Memory sticks have. Again there are several options to resolve this.

    • Return back to the manufacturer. They have the technology to format and reload the data, but the downside is that it will take time to return to the Far East, get them reloaded and shipped back. You would need to allow up to 2 weeks for this.

    • Some USB Providers will have the software to allow the data to be deleted in the UK. If not, ask them to try to obtain from the manufacturer. This would allow them to delete the data. Then the next challenge would be reloading the data. The easiest thing to do would be to load the new data with no protection or an autorun. However, if this is a pre-requisite then there are a few UK Data Duplication companies that have the capabilities of loading the data with copy protection and autorun. Again this will be dependant on the controller that is on the Branded USB Memory Drive.

The moral of this story is to ensure that you minimise the risk of this happening, by having a pre-production sample produced. Otherwise you will be entering a very stressful process and that towel will continue to get wetter!

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Can you delete files from pre-loaded Promotional USB Memory sticks?

Essential USB Drive Antivirus

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

In today’s day and age, with the growing number of viruses, people really need to not only protect their computers, but their USB drives as well.  If you are downloading to your customised USB flash drive, there is a chance that you could inadvertently transfer a virus.

Because customised USB flash drives are so popular, they are a great target for attackers to spread infections.  Flash drives are frequently used to move data between multiple systems. Due to this, viruses can be spread quickly.  Viruses can become so bad that many work places have banned the use of flash drives.  Some places of employment have placed silent applications that can detect when a flash drive is in use. Although this helps, by the time someone is notified, a virus could already be spread. Although this can be very problematic, viruses can’t get everyone trying to use a customised USB flash drive.

Many people think that because their customised USB flash drive is encrypted that they are safe.  Encryption only protects against loss or theft.  Digital photo kiosks are often not thought of as a threat, but these are one of the main distribution points for infections.  Think about it, you could go to a popular store, infect the photo kiosk, and sit back as the virus spreads to thousands of people walking in with their memory cards.  Many people will save pictures on a flash drive as well and this may be after they have been to a kiosk.

There are many places on the internet that provide USB antivirus programs.  Most of these programs provide great protection against programs trying to attack through your USB drive.  When any USB device is inserted into your computer, the antivirus program will automatically scan.  It will then block and delete USB viruses, Trojans and malicious code.  These programs can help to permanently protect your computer against USB worms.  These programs will not slow down your computer, and are compatible with other virus programs.

There are other precautions you can take to ensure protection against viruses.  Make sure to use security features such as, passwords and encryption.  It is wise to keep personal and business USB drives separate.  If using security and virus software, make sure that it is up to date.  Do not plug an unknown USB drive into your computer.

Nothing will protect you 100% from USB viruses, but it is worthwhile to educate yourself on all of the software and precautions you can use to help protect yourself and others.  Keep up to date on the software you use, and try to understand any current viruses and how they could affect you.

Spreading viruses through USB drives can be a very large problem.  It is a very easy way for people who are up to no good to do a lot of damage, and in a very short amount of time.  It takes the work out of spreading viruses through traditional means. So we need to become more aware of our USB drives and devices.  We are in a world of viruses that are not limited to our computers.

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Essential USB Drive Antivirus
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