payments

AppWizard
June 7, 2025
Elon Musk announced the rollout of a new feature called “XChat” for select X Premium subscribers, set to reach all paying users within a week. XChat includes enhanced messaging features such as full encryption by default, vanishing messages, the ability to send file attachments, and audio/video calls without a phone number. The service is built using "Rust with (Bitcoin style) encryption.” Musk envisions integrating messaging with financial transactions, aiming to launch X Payments later this year, similar to WeChat's model in China. Despite challenges in attracting Western consumers to comprehensive platforms, Musk's experience in payments may help make XChat appealing. The updated XChat begins its rollout this week, subject to potential scaling issues.
Winsage
June 4, 2025
Microsoft Office 2021 is currently available for a one-time purchase of .97, reduced from its regular price of 9.99. This version includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams (free version), OneNote, Publisher, and Access. Users receive instant download codes for immediate installation on a single computer, ensuring uninterrupted access without recurring fees. Microsoft 365, in contrast, operates on a subscription model that has recently seen a price increase, making Office 2021 a more economical choice for individuals and businesses. The offer is time-limited, and prices on StackSocial may change.
Winsage
June 3, 2025
Many users are paying recurring fees for Microsoft 365 subscriptions for applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. A one-time purchase option for Microsoft Office is available for .99, which includes essential applications and eliminates ongoing costs. This version supports macOS Ventura and is optimized for Retina displays. It offers lifetime access without the need for monthly payments, making it a more economical choice compared to Microsoft 365, which costs 0 annually. A Windows version is also available. The deal provides a stable version of Office without unexpected updates or changes.
AppWizard
June 3, 2025
Elon Musk has introduced XChat, a secure messaging service aimed at transforming X (formerly Twitter) into a comprehensive communication platform. XChat focuses on privacy, file sharing, and cross-platform calling, competing with established messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram. It is developed using Rust and features Bitcoin-style encryption and end-to-end encryption to ensure message confidentiality. Currently in beta testing, XChat will be rolled out to more users soon, although no official launch date has been set. This service is part of Musk's vision to create a "super app" that combines social networking, digital payments, media sharing, and private communication, similar to WeChat. Analysts believe XChat could significantly influence the development of Web3 applications and challenge traditional messaging platforms to innovate in security and functionality.
AppWizard
June 3, 2025
Samsung has launched the "Tap to Transfer" feature in Samsung Wallet, enabling peer-to-peer (P2P) payments directly from debit cards to recipients' bank accounts. This feature uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and is compatible with Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet, and Apple Wallet. The rollout is currently taking place in the U.S., and while transactions are initially fee-free, a 1.75% transaction fee (with a minimum charge of [openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: What you need to know Samsung is enhancing the experience for Galaxy phone users with its newly launched "Tap to Transfer" feature, designed to streamline peer-to-peer (P2P) payments. This innovative addition to Samsung Wallet allows users to send money directly from their debit cards to the bank accounts of friends and family, making transactions both swift and convenient. Utilizing Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the Tap to Transfer feature seamlessly connects to recipients' debit cards, regardless of whether they are stored in Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet, or Apple Wallet. This compatibility ensures that users can engage in transactions without the need for cumbersome third-party applications. The feature is currently being rolled out across the U.S., following its announcement earlier this month. Initially, users can enjoy fee-free transactions; however, a transaction fee of 1.75% (with a minimum charge of [cyberseo_openai model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using tag for a sub-heading. You can use only , , , , and HTML tags if necessary. Text: What you need to knowSamsung's new "Tap to Transfer" feature facilitates direct P2P payments from Samsung Wallet debit cards to recipients' bank accounts.It uses NFC, and the feature is compatible with multiple digital wallets (Samsung, Google, Apple) next to physical tap-to-pay debit cards.While initially fee-free, a 1.75% transaction fee (minimum $0.25) is expected to apply to the sender in the future.Having Samsung Wallet is one of the best perks of owning a Galaxy phone. And in the U.S., it's getting even better as the company is finally rolling out the new Tap to Transfer feature.The new feature's aim is to make peer-to-peer (P2P) payments “quick and convenient” in the U.S. While the company announced the feature early this month, the feature is now broadly rolling out this week.Samsung Wallet to send money to friends and family — straight into their bank accounts. It works by the NFC tech utilized by Samsung Wallet that swiftly connects to the recipient’s debit card stored in their respective digital wallets — be it Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet, and even Apple Wallet for that matter.FAQ page on the website, however, mentions that “a 1.75% fee (minimum of $0.25) is applied to each transaction. The fee only applies to the sender.”Other than the new Tap to Transfer, Samsung Wallet is the go-to application for Galaxy phone users as they can store essential things like driver’s license, credit cards, passes, gym membership cards, loyalty and boarding passes, and gift cards, and more. Some college students can even store their student ID cards as well.It is encouraging to see Samsung bringing interesting features to its Wallet app as users won’t have to rely on third-party apps for money transfer at least in the U.S. for now, and we hope the feature expands to even more countries soon.Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" ].25) is anticipated to be implemented for senders in the future. Beyond the Tap to Transfer capability, Samsung Wallet serves as a comprehensive digital repository for Galaxy phone users. It allows individuals to store a variety of essential items, including driver’s licenses, credit cards, gym memberships, loyalty cards, boarding passes, and even student ID cards for some college students. This development marks a significant step for Samsung, as it empowers users to conduct money transfers directly within their ecosystem, reducing reliance on external applications. As the feature gains traction in the U.S., there is hope that it will soon expand to additional markets, further enhancing the utility of Samsung Wallet for users worldwide." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"].25) will apply to senders in the future. Samsung Wallet also allows users to store various essential items, such as driver’s licenses, credit cards, and loyalty cards.
AppWizard
May 31, 2025
A bug affecting Google Wallet caused repeated authentication prompts for Wear OS users, which has now been patched by Google. Wear OS users can make Wallet payments without needing to authenticate if their smartwatch is unlocked and worn on their wrist. The issue was acknowledged by Google on May 20, and the fix was confirmed in a community post on May 29. The Google Wallet app on Wear OS has been updated to version 25.17, though it is unclear if the patch requires a manual update or was implemented server-side.
Tech Optimizer
May 21, 2025
Upgrading to Graviton4-based R8g instances with Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible 17.4 in an Aurora I/O-Optimized cluster configuration results in significant performance improvements. The new instances provide up to 1.7 times higher write throughput, 1.38 times better price-performance, and reduce commit latency by up to 46% on r8g.16xlarge instances and 38% on r8g.2xlarge instances compared to Graviton2-based R6g instances. The Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition now supports AWS Graviton4-based R8g instances and PostgreSQL 17.4, which introduces performance enhancements for I/O-Optimized configurations, optimizing write operations and batch processing. R8g instances offer up to 192 vCPUs and 1.5 TB of memory, supporting larger configurations and providing up to 50 Gbps of network bandwidth. PostgreSQL 17 includes vacuum improvements, eliminates the need to drop logical replication slots during upgrades, and expands SQL/JSON standards. Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible separates compute from storage, enabling independent scaling and maintaining six-way replication for durability, while processing changes as log records to reduce I/O operations. Performance benchmarks using HammerDB show improvements in throughput and commit latency across various workloads. For small workloads on 2xlarge instance size, throughput increased by 50.25% and commit latency improved by 33.87%. For medium workloads on 16xlarge instance size, throughput increased by 30% and commit latency improved by 17.44%. The most significant performance benefits arise from combining hardware upgrades from Graviton2 to Graviton4 with database engine upgrades from PostgreSQL 15.10 to 17.4. For small workloads, throughput increased by 70% and commit latency improved by 38.71%. For medium workloads, throughput increased by 70% and commit latency improved by 46.67%. Cost efficiency is also enhanced, with a 38% improvement in price performance and a 61.26% improvement in price-performance ratio when comparing Graviton2 and Graviton4 instances. Reserved Instances for Graviton4-based R8g instances offer additional cost-optimization opportunities.
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