Computer and internet briefs

Google offers tips for more security on the web

Berlin (dpa) - Google is starting an information campaign for more security on the web. The initiative, under the name 'Good to Know,' is designed to help users properly manage their information and what they share with websites.

There are tips and explanations about the web under the site www.google.com/goodtoknow. One tip is on using your own complicated password for each account - and how you can remember it even though it looks like nonsense at a first glance. The service describes how cookies work in recognizing that a user has previously visited a website. There is also information about how Google uses your data.

High-quality system required for high-definition music

Berlin (dpa) - MP3s are widespread, but it is not the best audio format because of the loss caused by compression. Albums nowadays are also being offered to music lovers in lossless formats such as FLAC, AIFF or WMA Lossless, which provide studio quality sound. But the better quality of the high-definition music cannot really be heard without a high-quality system and very good speakers, according to the IT industry association Bitkom. Good cabling is important as loose contacts and inferior cables could compromise sound quality.

Albums in lossless audio formats provide a quality comparable to sound studios, meaning up to 24 bit resolution and a so-called sampling frequency of 192 kilohertz (kHz). A compact disc meanwhile has only 16 bit resolution and a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz. The kHz stands for up to which level tones can be played back, while the bit rate measures how many times the sound is digitally compressed. The higher the rate, the more original and less distorted the sound quality is. The biggest offering of high-definition music is currently available in the classical music sector.

Apple's iCloud compatible with Windows PC

Berlin (dpa) - Apple's new iCloud synchronizes data with Mac laptops, iPhones and iPads through an internet server. But Windows users can also calibrate their contacts, calendar and email between their PC and an Apple mobile device. Apple has instituted an iCloud Control Panel, which can be installed under Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7 and makes possible the mobile use of data with Outlook 2007 and 2010. The settings for the synchronization can be set in the Windows system control. The iCloud Control Panel also shows how much memory is available in the free 5 GB account.