Amazon introduces Storyteller tool to turn scripts into storyboards HD

Amazon Studios has been forging ahead with its push to develop original movies and TV series, and it has now introduced a new tool that it's hoping will help foster further development. Dubbed Amazon Storyteller, the tool lets writers quickly turn their script into a storyboard without the need for any actual artistic skills. As Amazon explains it, the tool first scans the writer's script and then "identifies the scenes, locations and characters from scene descriptions, and 'casts' them from a library of thousands of characters, props and backgrounds." Writers and filmmakers can then choose to customize the storyboard or upload some of their own images if they like, before sharing it with others to solicit feedback (naturally, it's only available if you submit your script to Amazon Studios). According to the company, the tool works best with contemporary dramas or romantic comedies given its current art assets, so you may still have your work cut out for you if you're looking to storyboard your post-apocalyptic fantasy epic.

LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra shows off its insides at the FCC

If you've got kids, or just like pretending you still are one on weekends, then you're probably familiar with LeapFrog's infant-friendly LeapPad. We might suggest that you hold off buying one for the next few weeks, thanks to a listing for a LeapPad Ultra that meandered through the FCC today. Given that the LeapPad 2 hit stores last August, we'll expect to learn a lot more about this unit over the next couple of weeks. That said, if you can't wait, or are just curious about what lurks beneath its green plastic shell, check out the teardown gallery below.

Microsoft says IE10 owns the coveted 'most energy efficient browser' title

Ever been concerned about the energy consumption of your web browser? Us neither, but that hasn't stopped Microsoft from ballyhooing that stat to sway you in favor of Internet Explorer 10. According to the latest tests it commissioned from Fraunhofer USA, IE10 uses up to 18 percent less power in browsing, Flash and HTML5 tasks than its main rivals, Chrome and Firefox. While claiming that's a boon to laptop battery life, Redmond went so far as to say that if every single Chrome and Firefox user would just switch to IE10, it would save enough energy to power over 10,000 US homes for a year. We can't vouch for the authenticity of that stat, but we can say that as of late, that's a lot of users.

Apple reportedly teaming up with Brightstar to start in-store iPhone trade-in program Mobile

Bloomberg reports that Apple will be starting an iPhone trade-in program in an effort to increase the uptake of the iPhone 5. According to the always erudite "people with knowledge of the plans," Cupertino has tapped wireless distributor firm Brightstar to help run the exchange program through Apple stores -- allowing customers instantaneous trade-ins instead of having to deal with the endless shipping wait times of online exchanges. We've reached out to Apple for comment, but if the news is true, you can bet that Cupertino isn't likely to confirm it until next week at WWDC.