LECOM - Bradenton Discussion thread 2008-2009

I just wanted to be the 1000th poster to this thread and wish everyone best of luck.

vargant said:

I just submitted my secondary at the end of Jan. I'm interviewing on March 9th. I know about two weeks ago, there were about 50 slots left. I'm assuming that the remaining slots are probably pretty competitive. I was wondering if it would be wise if I pre-write a "thank you" note for my interviewer for interviewing me, and hand it over to him or her at the end of the interview? The note would state why LECOM is my school of choice, and why PBL is a good match for me.

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It doesn't seem to me like a thankyou note written pre-interview and handed over at the time of interview would add much to their impression of you, aside from being a sign of eagerness. I would think a lot about why PBL is a good match for you and try to express that in your interview. Then, immediately after your interview, write thankyou notes addressed to the individuals you interviewed with citing specific things that you learned or observed during your interview day that reinforced your belief that LECOM is the right place for you and pop them in the mail. I think your note will be a lot more meaningful under those circumstances.

Keep in mind that, even though the class may seem to be running out of slots, a number of people will give up their places in the coming months. If you aren't accepted right away, there is still a good chance of getting in off of the alternate list and that may be where your thankyou note can make the difference.

Good luck.

vargant said:

I just submitted my secondary at the end of Jan. I'm interviewing on March 9th. I know about two weeks ago, there were about 50 slots left. I'm assuming that the remaining slots are probably pretty competitive. I was wondering if it would be wise if I pre-write a "thank you" note for my interviewer for interviewing me, and hand it over to him or her at the end of the interview? The note would state why LECOM is my school of choice, and why PBL is a good match for me.

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Doing it afterwards, like DocHas, suggests MAY help, but I kinda doubt it. The point of the interview (as I understand it) is to see if you're a good fit for PBL (and thus, LECOM-B). A thank you note is just going to tell them you're courteous...you could still be a douche bag...

Not that you are...I'm just sayin' that it doesn't say alot about you. You'll be better off impressing them with your interpersonal skills during your interview.

For the record, I didn't send a thank you note and got in just fine.

Anyone trying to get through the drug tests might be interested to know that a blood test for the TCA's can replace the urine test according to Heather. it seems (at least in my area) to be much easier to find a blood test for TCA's than a urine test so I figured this might help people out.

cleoscat3 said:

Anyone trying to get through the drug tests might be interested to know that a blood test for the TCA's can replace the urine test according to Heather. it seems (at least in my area) to be much easier to find a blood test for TCA's than a urine test so I figured this might help people out.

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I asked Heather this same question, and she said a blood TCA test is fine.

I would guess it's more expensive, but if it's all you've got, it'll work.

Altruist said:

I asked Heather this same question, and she said a blood TCA test is fine.

I would guess it's more expensive, but if it's all you've got, it'll work.

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Yay insurance and a doctor that's a family friend

I'm interviewing at Bradenton tomorrow morning- can't wait!
Wish me luck! =)

GatorMDWannabe said:

I'm interviewing at Bradenton tomorrow morning- can't wait!
Wish me luck! =)

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Good luck! If some of the 1st years seem a little..."off"...it's because we have a PBL test tomorrow and we're going to be depressed, brain fried, sleep deprived, upset-at-how-we-performed-on-the-test, and probably not there much at all really.

Just wanted to apologize in advance!

digitlnoize said:

Good luck! If some of the 1st years seem a little..."off"...it's because we have a PBL test tomorrow and we're going to be depressed, brain fried, sleep deprived, upset-at-how-we-performed-on-the-test, and probably not there much at all really.

Just wanted to apologize in advance!

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haha! Thanks for the heads up! And on the flip side, if you happen to see interviewees walking around with the deer-in-the-headlights look and frazzled hair (brainz?) don't think less of us!

Good luck on your test! I hope you ace it!

GatorMDWannabe said:

haha! Thanks for the heads up! And on the flip side, if you happen to see interviewees walking around with the deer-in-the-headlights look and frazzled hair (brainz?) don't think less of us!

Good luck on your test! I hope you ace it!

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All the best to you. Do let us know how the interview goes!

So the interview went well (I think) but somehow I missed where they said that Calculus isn't considered a science so I now have to procure another LOR before they'll review my file...uh ohhh....

GatorMDWannabe said:

So the interview went well (I think) but somehow I missed where they said that Calculus isn't considered a science so I now have to procure another LOR before they'll review my file...uh ohhh....

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that's...hmmm.....odd. which faculty person told you that? have you spoken to anette or dr brenezak? b/c at this stage of the game you don't want your file to be held up for any length of time. it really is, 1st come, 1st serve regarding acceptances. i am a non trad, my LOR's are a little diff and during my interview process, secretaries from multiple schools "held" my app for weeks/months until to realize, that's it's acceptable and they just didn't know. I am not saying it's happened in your case but I'd look into it.

Here's a question: How do you all think the admission office would react to someone asking questions about the school, considering I've already paid my first deposit? It is definitely tied for #1 on my list and I don't want to put my place in the class at risk. (ie "Why are you asking questions, you already committed to coming here") I might be totally off base on that. Its just that I still have some questions (board scores, % of students who take USMLE and pass). I also want to go back down to the area, look for housing, and get a feel for the place again. This decision is becoming increasingly stressful and I want to make a good informed decision. As always, thanks!

howard100 said:

Here's a question: How do you all think the admission office would react to someone asking questions about the school, considering I've already paid my first deposit? It is definitely tied for #1 on my list and I don't want to put my place in the class at risk. (ie "Why are you asking questions, you already committed to coming here") I might be totally off base on that. Its just that I still have some questions (board scores, % of students who take USMLE and pass). I also want to go back down to the area, look for housing, and get a feel for the place again. This decision is becoming increasingly stressful and I want to make a good informed decision. As always, thanks!

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I'm not really sure...I don't think you'd lose your place, you already paid your deposit, so...

You could always try asking your questions here first. Board scores = awesome. Not sure about USMLE, and the school may not know either...I doubt that everyone who takes it tells the school...most, but probably not all.

I would imagine that our USMLE pass rate is also pretty high. Our weakest area on the COMLEX is OMM, and we ROCK the basic sciences...we had a bunch of students score >700 last year (I forget how many...)

Housing here is awesome and has been discussed at length in this very thread.

Fair enough! Probably get better answers here anyway. Would you consider the school "competitive"? I could imagine that a normal amount of competitiveness (at a lecture based school) would be detrimental to PBL style learning.

howard100 said:

Fair enough! Probably get better answers here anyway. Would you consider the school "competitive"? I could imagine that a normal amount of competitiveness (at a lecture based school) would be detrimental to PBL style learning.

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Ha! I thought you meant, "is LECOM hard to get into?"

As far as competitiveness between the students: No. I would say that we're "Driven" but not "Competitive". If that makes sense.

Most of us want to do well, and work VERY hard, but we don't backstab each other...quite the opposite. One person might make review questions for a chapter, then they'll email it out to everyone...or another person might make a list of all the drugs from our PBL cases with their mechanisms of action, and whatnot, and send that to everyone (thanks PBL-DO!!!).

Since we work in groups so often, we can't have too many douche bags here...for the most part we're all nice, fun people who aren't too high strung.

Again, we do have "gunners", if by "gunner" you mean someone that wants to do well. But, they don't go around stealing your notes or books to make you fail, which DOES happen at some schools. Not here.

Anybody know what the percentage of students interviewed who get accepted is? Just curious.

awwadcj said:

Anybody know what the percentage of students interviewed who get accepted is? Just curious.

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I called LECOM-B the other day and found out that 150 applicants will be accepted to DO program this year. Hope this helps.

tabishis said:

I called LECOM-B the other day and found out that 150 applicants will be accepted to DO program this year. Hope this helps.

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This means 150 will wind up in the final class of 2013. In reality, more than 150 will be accepted, since many people drop...

awwadcj said:

Anybody know what the percentage of students interviewed who get accepted is? Just curious.

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I don't know the exact figures, but it is very high (at least 70%, according to a couple of sources). I think interviews are sort of a last check to make sure you're a good fit with the program. They already know that you're qualified.

Of course, at this point in the interview season, I imagine many people are being put on the waitlist to fill spots that will open up later as some of those accepted choose to go elsewhere. I was told that 60% of people waitlisted are eventually offered a spot.

DocHas said:

I don't know the exact figures, but it is very high (at least 70%, according to a couple of sources).

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yeah somewhere around 50-60% give or take a few %, look at US news/world report, they've got all the stats on there

hey guys a couple questions

how do current students in LECOM and their peers view lecom on the food chain of DO schools. Is it one of the easier ones to get into or better schools? how does the rest of the DO and MD community feel about this school?


also how is the indo-pak community and are there any mozlems headin up to lecom?

and how is the new rec center?!?!?!

abcdzain said:

hey guys a couple questions

how do current students in LECOM and their peers view lecom on the food chain of DO schools. Is it one of the easier ones to get into or better schools? how does the rest of the DO and MD community feel about this school?


also how is the indo-pak community and are there any mozlems headin up to lecom?

and how is the new rec center?!?!?!

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Personally, I think LECOM-B is the BEST DO school...at least for me. We're #2 in board scores, if you want to use that as a barometer.

I think pre-meds consider PCOM #1, followed by CCOM, NYCOM, and others...but, I don't buy it. Our first match list was very good, and this years will probably be much better since the board scores went up ALOT after the 1st class...

Judging by the strong upward trend in GPA/MCAT scores, I would say that LECOM-B is getting pretty competitive. I know of people with 29's and >3.5's that got waitlisted this year, if that helps. It's also an excellent program (PBL), lots of "free time" (aka, "study/sleep when you want" time), awesome weather, friendly faculty, and a great place to live.

As far as the indo/pak/muslim community...there is one, but it's kinda small. Certainly <25% of the class, but there's a club, and they stay active, I think...I would certainly say that LECOM-B faculty, staff, and students are minority friendly...I've never heard of anyone having a problem with religion/race issues here...

The new Rec Center is at LECOM-ERIE, which is a completely different school, as far as I'm concerned. They own us, but other than that, I wouldn't try to draw too many similarities between LECOM-B and LECOM-E.

So I interviewed on the 27th of Feb. Called in today and found out I got waitlisted... Oh well. *sigh*

Anyways, good luck to everyone else out there especially those who interviewed with me. You guys were a great group. Talk to you all later. Peace out.

Ruettiger09 said:

So I interviewed on the 27th of Feb. Called in today and found out I got waitlisted... Oh well. *sigh*

Anyways, good luck to everyone else out there especially those who interviewed with me. You guys were a great group. Talk to you all later. Peace out.

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My friend interviewed on the same day and got put on the alternate list also. He was the guy with the accent and most common name in the world.

Originally Posted by Ruettiger09
So I interviewed on the 27th of Feb. Called in today and found out I got waitlisted... Oh well. *sigh*

Anyways, good luck to everyone else out there especially those who interviewed with me. You guys were a great group. Talk to you all later. Peace out.

Fp02c said:

My friend interviewed on the same day and got put on the alternate list also. He was the guy with the accent and most common name in the world.

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Do you think I'm interviewing for a waitlist spot?

Ruettiger09, from what i hear, they let about 66% off the waitlist, so don't lose hope!

vargant said:

Ruettiger09, from what i hear, they let about 66% off the waitlist, so don't lose hope!

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Thanks, Vargant. I'm definitely not losing hope, but at the same time, I have to be real and start planning for the worst. My situation is kinda tricky. Being in Navy ROTC, I've already committed myself to military service. They only allow a certain number of midshipmen to go to medical school each year. I think this year, it's only 12 spots across the nation. Luckily, I did get one of those spots, but the restricting condition is that I will need to be accepted to a school before I graduate in May. Otherwise, expect me to be on a ship somewhere. Haha.

It would be absolutely TERRIBLE though if I got accepted after the Navy's deadline. With my luck, I wouldn't be surprised. It's been a pretty rough 6 months for me. I sure hope my luck changes soon. We'll see.

Fp02c said:

My friend interviewed on the same day and got put on the alternate list also. He was the guy with the accent and most common name in the world.

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I think I know who you are talking about! Waitlisted too? Oh man, I honestly thought he was getting in for sure. Such a nice, well-spoken guy. He actually drove me back to my hotel after the interview. Believe it or not, my rental car didnt start in the morning, and being nearly 30 minutes away from the school, I honestly considered calling in to reschedule. Luckily, an old couple that was on vacation was able to give me a ride. Haha. What a way to start your interview day, huh?

But yeah, do you happen to have his phone number? I'd love to give him a call to say thanks. If he wouldn't mind it, you can email it to me at [email protected]

Thanks. Hope all is well.

surprisingly, i got my acceptance letter 6 days after my interview even when my file wasn't complete (missing science letter that was resent after i received the acceptance letter). now in the process of scrummaging up $1500 to send in.

I really liked the feel/atmosphere of the school and thought the interview day went great except the part where they went around the table and talked about the pbl session. i spent a weekend there so i was able to go explore the area and notice that there is a large hispanic population. During my stay i was able to find a great pho restaurant around tampa called phu quyen and so if i do end up going to LECOM-B then I can see myself being their number 1 customer. it is nice to know that I will be able to find decent vietnamese food there A+++ in my book

oh yeah i interviewed on the 23rd of Feb

Congrats asdf002! Would you recommend anything to an upcomming interviewer other than the interview feedback section on SDN? Or any insight such as how many slots are left? I really want to get into this school because I feel that I'm a perfect fit for PBL. Not to mention that I also want to be a D.O.

For current students: If you were waitlisted, when were you pulled out of it?

vargant said:

Congrats asdf002! Would you recommend anything to an upcomming interviewer other than the interview feedback section on SDN? Or any insight such as how many slots are left? I really want to get into this school because I feel that I'm a perfect fit for PBL. Not to mention that I also want to be a D.O.

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SDN feedback is all you need. Just be honest, be yourself, and tell them how much you want to do PBL, and WHY.

Not sure how many spots are left...

People are pulled off the waitlist from now until day 1 of school...

asdf002 said:

During my stay i was able to find a great pho restaurant around tampa called phu quyen and so if i do end up going to LECOM-B then I can see myself being their number 1 customer. it is nice to know that I will be able to find decent vietnamese food there A+++ in my book

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The original pho quyen is in st petersburg and all along that stretch on Park Blvd. are a handful of mom and pop vietnamese restaurants.

Did anyone get waitlisted, but also get committee suggestion on what they would like to see improved?

I had a great interview, my gpa is ~3.5 science, lots of shadowing and volunteer work, but my MCAT was only 22.

In bold they said the committee would like to see me retake the April MCAT and score 24 or above.

I was wondering if anyone else got suggestions like that?

Hi everyone,
I was accepted to LECOM Bradenton and have been following the forum, but just made an account. I am from Sarasota and will be in town this week for spring break. I was wondering if any current students will be going out this weekend through next weekend and I might be able to come out and meet some of you!! Are there certain places your guys like to go?? I am looking forward to starting in July and would love to meet some people now because I will be back in Sarasota in May when I graduate. Thanks!

SRQflygirl said:

Hi everyone,
I was accepted to LECOM Bradenton and have been following the forum, but just made an account. I am from Sarasota and will be in town this week for spring break. I was wondering if any current students will be going out this weekend through next weekend and I might be able to come out and meet some of you!! Are there certain places your guys like to go?? I am looking forward to starting in July and would love to meet some people now because I will be back in Sarasota in May when I graduate. Thanks!

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Definitely! PM me and I'll keep you in the loop.

digitlnoize said:

Doing it afterwards, like DocHas, suggests MAY help, but I kinda doubt it. The point of the interview (as I understand it) is to see if you're a good fit for PBL (and thus, LECOM-B). A thank you note is just going to tell them you're courteous...you could still be a douche bag...

Not that you are...I'm just sayin' that it doesn't say alot about you. You'll be better off impressing them with your interpersonal skills during your interview.

For the record, I didn't send a thank you note and got in just fine.

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Can you be courteous...and still be a douchebag?...You've raised an interesting question.

marathondude said:

Can you be courteous...and still be a douchebag?...You've raised an interesting question.

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You can definitely be a courteous douchebag. Didn't anyone see Cramer on the Daily Show last night? Courteous Douchebag.

I will be down with my wife and some family members next week to check out the area and look around for housing. I was wondering if some current students could give some recommendations on things to see/do in the area, places to eat, etc. We will be down for a week so want to get a good feel for the area and also try to figure out where we will be living this summer.

As far as areas to live in - I have seen the apartment recommendations and the house/condo ideas in Lakewood Ranch, but I was wondering if any students live in other areas. Do any students live in the Sarasota area or is the drive a problem with traffic. Thanks in advance for any advice and ideas for what to do and see next week.

emole123 said:

I will be down with my wife and some family members next week to check out the area and look around for housing. I was wondering if some current students could give some recommendations on things to see/do in the area, places to eat, etc. We will be down for a week so want to get a good feel for the area and also try to figure out where we will be living this summer.

As far as areas to live in - I have seen the apartment recommendations and the house/condo ideas in Lakewood Ranch, but I was wondering if any students live in other areas. Do any students live in the Sarasota area or is the drive a problem with traffic. Thanks in advance for any advice and ideas for what to do and see next week.

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Try to live in Lakewood Ranch if you can. The farthest away I would live would be Yacht Club apartments on SR64 or Las Palmas Apts on University Pkway. There's plenty of good places to live around school for cheap. Get a house if you can...craigslist is good.

Places you must hang out:
1. Lakewood Ranch Main Street - will give you a good feel for what the area is like.
2. Siesta Key Beach - Best beach ever.
3. St. Armand's Square - Cool place to hang out with shopping, good restaurants, etc.
4. Downtown Sarasota is fun.
5. Drive around Lakewood Ranch alot. Spend time in the parks. Check out the Adventure park, summerfield park, etc. Googling should get you there. Go eat at Country Pancake House in San Marco Plaza. Drive by the local hospitals...

That's about all I got. Let me know if you need more help.

I have received an interview to LECOM Bradenton . However what is the time window for me, if I am granted a slot, to accept such a slot? I only ask because I also have received an interview at both Nova (19th) and PCOM-GA (30) and I would not want to make an absolute decision until I have had all my interviews. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

.

digitlnoize said:

Try to live in Lakewood Ranch if you can. The farthest away I would live would be Yacht Club apartments on SR64 or Las Palmas Apts on University Pkway. There's plenty of good places to live around school for cheap. Get a house if you can...craigslist is good.

Places you must hang out:
1. Lakewood Ranch Main Street - will give you a good feel for what the area is like.
2. Siesta Key Beach - Best beach ever.
3. St. Armand's Square - Cool place to hang out with shopping, good restaurants, etc.
4. Downtown Sarasota is fun.
5. Drive around Lakewood Ranch alot. Spend time in the parks. Check out the Adventure park, summerfield park, etc. Googling should get you there. Go eat at Country Pancake House in San Marco Plaza. Drive by the local hospitals...

That's about all I got. Let me know if you need more help.

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Thanks for the quick response. I already have plans to visit Yacht Club (although the various negative posts on the SGA board put me off a little bit) and Colonial Grand. We are also meeting with a realtor to see some townhouse/home rentals in LWR.

I interviewed on March 9th, and during the interview they said they would be calling us Friday, March 13th to let us know our outcome (even though they are still sending the letters via snail mail). I did not receive a phone call today. I have read all of the previous posts and I do not recall anyone receiving a phone call by LECOM. I'm a little nervous about this. I figured they probably would start calling people (12 people interviewed on the 9th and I assume approximately 12 people the friday before, for a total of 24 people to call) towards the end of the day after the friday interviews. I imagine I would be one of the last ones to be called if they went in alphabetical order. I was thinking maybe they did not complete the phone calls today.

What do you think? Did anyone receive a phone call from them today?

emole123 said:

Thanks for the quick response. I already have plans to visit Yacht Club (although the various negative posts on the SGA board put me off a little bit) and Colonial Grand. We are also meeting with a realtor to see some townhouse/home rentals in LWR.

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Check out Heritage Harbor area just off SR64. A fairly large planned community with homes, apartments, townhomes, etc... Minutes from school and nicer than Yacht Club.

Colonial Grand is pretty much in the middle of Lakewood Ranch. A large apartment complex. Fair amount of students live there, it's alright I think, nothing too special.

vargant said:

I interviewed on March 9th, and during the interview they said they would be calling us Friday, March 13th to let us know our outcome (even though they are still sending the letters via snail mail). I did not receive a phone call today. I have read all of the previous posts and I do not recall anyone receiving a phone call by LECOM. I'm a little nervous about this. I figured they probably would start calling people (12 people interviewed on the 9th and I assume approximately 12 people the friday before, for a total of 24 people to call) towards the end of the day after the friday interviews. I imagine I would be one of the last ones to be called if they went in alphabetical order. I was thinking maybe they did not complete the phone calls today.

What do you think? Did anyone receive a phone call from them today?

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I also interviewed on the 9th... no phone call yet. Have you heard anything?

futuredoc30 said:

I also interviewed on the 9th... no phone call yet. Have you heard anything?

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This is reassuring at least, that both of us did not receive a phone call. Thoughts went through my mind starting mid-afternoon on Friday, such as, "Well, would they really call those who were rejected? Probably not."

From what I have been able to gather, in the past the interviewees were able to call Heather the day after the committee met (Wednesday) and they were able to receive their notice through her prior to snail mail delivery. However, I'm assuming LECOM has been tired of the phone calls and decided to take "control" over the phone calls themselves. Hence, at our interview, they said they would be calling us.

Nevertheless, I called last Wednesday and spoke with Heather who then transferred me to Annette. Annette "reminded me" that they said at our interview that they would be calling us on Friday.

Upon dealing further with my anxiety over the matter, I came to the conclusion Saturday after the absence of their phone call, that this may have been the first time that they were calling the interviewees. I’m assuming, if Annette did call the interviewees, she probably would have started towards the end of the day (after Friday interviews) and probably ran out of time calling the many interviewees. I’m also assuming being an interviewee comes with natural anxiety; therefore, not hearing anything prior to 2:30 (Eastern Time Zone, also the end of Friday’s interview) may have caused an influx of interviewees calling Annette Friday, which would not have allowed her to finish her own phones.

In other words, I have not heard of anything yet.