Thurrott Daily: September 1

Tech tidbits from around the web.

9/1/2016 3:30:50 PM

Sunset for Sunrise? Not yet

Back in May, I reported on Microsoft’s plans to shut down the Sunrise mobile calendaring app this summer. But they’ve since had a change of heart. No, they’re not keeping it in the market indefinitely, but they are extending the deadline. PC World reports.

Microsoft says Sunrise Calendar will not shut down on August 31 after all. “[W]e have chosen to wait a little longer in order to deliver a few more Sunrise-inspired features in Outlook,” the company told PCWorld. “Once those features are released, the Sunrise app will officially be shut down.”

Eh. If you’re using Sunrise, you should have already moved along.

Start10 “fixes” the Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Stardock contacted me this week to explain that their Start10 solution—which I’ve highlighted in the Windows 10 Field Guide and here on Thurrott.com in Windows 10 Tip: Get the Windows 7 Start Menu Back—can “fix” the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Stardock released an update for Start10 today. v1.5 fixes some of the user aggravation caused by the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Start10 allows users to bring back their start menu lists (instead of alphabetized tiles), quickly access their most used items, and search their PC more effectively. The update also offers full integration with Stardock’s Fences right in the Start menu.

You can find out more here.

Dropbox says that over 68 million user names and passwords were stolen. In 2012.

Dropbox is requiring that 68 million of its users reset their passwords after discovering a security breach. From 2012. The Wall Street Journal explains.

Dropbox Inc. is forcing some users to reset passwords after discovering that 68 million usernames and passwords were stolen from the online-storage site during a 2012 hack.

The company began resetting user passwords last week after learning people outside the company had obtained files containing the credentials, a company spokeswoman said. All users who haven’t reset their passwords since mid-2012 are being required to reset their passwords.

Dropbox had previously disclosed that it had been compromised in 2012, but the company underestimated the impact of the incident. On Wednesday, the company said it was unaware of the full extent of the hack until the files surfaced.

My advice: Use two-factor authentication. Always.

Samsung introduces new Gear S3 smartwatch

I’m not super-interested in Tizen, but Samsung is Samsung, and heck you never know. Again, the WSJ:

Samsung unveiled its new Gear S3 smartwatch Wednesday ahead of the IFA consumer electronics trade fair in Berlin.

Samsung gave no details on pricing or availability. The Gear S3 is set to hit shelves later this year.

Smartwatch shipments declined to 3.5 million in the second quarter, compared with 5.1 million in the same period the previous year, according to market-research firm International Data Corporation. The decline was mainly because of weaker sales of Apple Inc.’s watch.

Or because wearables are mostly pointless.