(Credit: CNET)

Are you a puzzle gamer? My iOS devices have a mix of gaming genres, from action arcade titles and racing games, to FPS shooters and role-playing adventure games. But sometimes I also like to focus in and test my logic and problem-solving skills with puzzle games.

Some great games have come out recently that are worthy of any puzzle-gaming fan's iPhone. All of these titles are worthy of checking out, because they have plenty of challenge, are all very polished graphically, and are perfect for when you want to put your brain-teaser skills to the test.

This week's iOS app collection is all about arcade puzzle games. The first combines lessons from past iPhone games to make for a great brain-teaser. The second has you blowing up ice sculptures using different types of bombs. The third challenges you to divert water to a cute little alligator's tub.

You'll need to drag and attach the eerie tendrils to the eye to get it to the goal.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Contre Jour (99 cents) is an arcade puzzler that veteran gamers will see as a mashup of game mechanics and inspiration from several other popular titles. Though it's been out for a while, Contre Jour is a well-executed and challenging puzzle game with polished art an... [Read more]

Set up multiple profiles in Chrome

There's a ton of reasons to love Chrome, but syncing isn't one of them--yet. Google has just built a new feature into Chrome 16 that could make multiple account management much better.

Multiple-user support is similar to Chrome's Sync feature, but it's more of a complementary feature than a must-use. Sync allows you to always have access to the same bookmarks, history, themes, and preferences. Multiuser support allows you to share a computer or maintain separate Google identities without logging out of the operating system. This could be useful for single-computer households or small businesses, but it's really good for people who want to maintain more than one Gmail or Google account at a time.

Here's how you do it:

Step 1: Create a new profile by going to the Wrench menu's new "Sign into Chrome" option. If you're already using Chrome's sync, you'll see your account listed as "Signed in as..."

Step 2: Go back to the Wrench, choose Options (Preferences on a Mac,) then Personal Stuff, and "Add new user." This will open a new Chrome window.

Step 3: The new user must repeat the "Sign into Chrome" procedure. This associates the Google account with the profile.

Step 4: Bask in the glory of being able to manage two accounts from the same browser without crossing your Google streams.

You can also customize the profile's name and icon, and Google ha... [Read more]

Rovio "Mighty Eagle" Peter Vesterbacka

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Angry Birds maker Rovio is looking to go public. But it might surprise you just where it plans to do so.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview published today, Rovio's chief marketing officer and "Mighty Eagle" Peter Vesterbacka said that his company plans to go public in 2013 on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He cited the Asian market's growth, as well as its "people and the money" to justify the decision.

Rovio has been talking about an IPO for months now, but its focus on Hong Kong is new. Back in May, the company's CEO Mikael Hed told Reuters that Rovio would like hold its IPO on Wall Street in two or three years. Just a couple of months ago, Vesterbacka told Bloomberg Television in an interview that his company was hoping to file for its IPO "a year from now," but didn't say where. Vesterbacka did, however, tell Bloomberg that he expected Rovio to go public at a $1 billion valuation.

Although Rovio is best known for its Angry Birds mobile game--which at last count, tallied 600 million downloads since its launch in 2009--the developer has created a massive business around the franchise. Rovio currently sells st... [Read more]

It's just one browser version during one particular week, and only one research firm is making the claim--but according to StatCounter, Google's Chrome 15 is the world's most popular browser.

Chrome 15

(Credit: Google) In the last week of November, StatCounter says, 23.6 percent of the browsers tracked by its global system were Chrome 15. Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 accounted for 23.5 percent.

Add up all versions of IE and Chrome and you still get a different story: IE is the most popular browser overall, well ahead of Chrome. StatCounter's numbers still show all versions of IE taking a total of 40.09 percent of the market, vs. 26.31 percent for all versions of Chrome. Firefox is at 25.07 percent, Apple's Safari is at 5.86 percent, and Opera gets 1.91 percent.

Chrome 15's victory isn't hugely meaningful. Google's built-in updating system quietly but insistently auto-updates users to new versions, reducing the number of people who are running old editions of the browser. Microsoft, by contrast, is less pushy. That helps explain why a meaningful number of folks still run the ancient, obsolete, insecure mess known as Internet Explorer 6.

In January, Microsoft ... [Read more]

If you think this little guy looks cute here, you should see him frolic around your screen.

(Credit: Microsoft)

First came OneNote, then SkyDrive. Now, Microsoft is jumping into the iOS games market with Kinectimals, a mobile version of the popular Kinect console title.

"Game" might not be the right word. Kinectimals simulates adopting and playing with a tiger cub (your choice of five breeds at the beginning, with five more you can unlock). Target audience: 3-year-olds.

OK, slightly older kids might enjoy this as well, but Kinectimals is so simplistic that I think anyone over the age of 7 is likely to lose interest pretty quickly.

That's not to say this Tamogotchi-style experience is bad, because it's not. Rather, it's cute as the dickens, with frisky tiger cubs who jump and coo and catch (or at least paw at) tennis balls. Soothing new-agey music plays in the background.

For the first few minutes, it's not immediately obvious what you're supp... [Read more]

The iPhone 4 can now run Siri--legally.

(Credit: Apple)

If you own an iPhone 4 and really want Siri on it, a new update has paved the way for you to get your wish.

Apple yesterday launched a new version of its iOS 5.0.1 update that, according to well-known iPhone hacker MuscleNerd, leaves the platform's RAM disks unencrypted. Because of that, those with a little technical know-how can write a script to extract from the software update all the files needed to bring the virtual personal assistant to the iPhone 4.

Apple's update can be automatically downloaded to devices that currently aren't running iOS 5.0.1. Those who are already running the software version will need to download the revised iOS 5.0.1 update from Apple's direct link.

Related stories

• Siri now flirting with older iPhones--for real
• Developer ports Siri to iPhone 3GS
• ... [Read more]

Ask any honest Android fanboy what he envies about the iPhone 4S and chances are good that he or she will menton Siri. And since we're speaking honestly, I'll be the first to admit that this is one feature that I wish my Android could do.

Sure, there are plenty of apps vying for the "Android version of Siri," but none of them are as quite as well-rounded as the iOS app.

Thankfully, we should have an official client on the way as rumors of a "Majel" project began picking up steam this week. Factoring in the early details uncovered by Android And Me and one very recent acquisition, it appears that Google is wasting no time in bringing about a rebuttal.

In the few days since the first information came to light, Android And Me has obtained new tips that paint the picture of a fast-tracked project. One particularly interesting detail comes from a source who claims... [Read more]

Juggling passwords for all the Web sites and accounts we use is a neverending challenge, but one that Microsoft hopes to resolve in Windows 8.

Protecting yourself on the Internet typically requires the use of passwords. But that process has never been easy or truly safe. Most people either try to remember too many passwords or simply use the same passwords for all their accounts. Both approaches leave the door open for hackers to access your personal information.

What's needed is a simpler yet still secure approach.

In the latest edition of the Building Windows 8 blog, Dustin Ingalls, a group program manager on Microsoft's security and identity team, explains how both Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10 will try to adopt that simpler yet secure approach.

The upcoming new version of IE will let users store and access the account names and passwords for all of the Web sites and many of the applications they use. You can choose to have IE10 securely house your credentials and then automatically retrieve them when you visit a password-protected site.

The new Metro-style apps can also tap into the same feature since developers will be able to design their apps with the ability to store and retrieve user names and passwords.

Related stories

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