iTunes may soon read the news to you

A new feature coming to iTunes got leaked earlier (and has since been pulled) that will allow the service to read the news to you. Called Spoken Editions, this podcasts-branded feature has short programs reading written news items from select publications such as Wired, TechCrunch, Forbes, and Time. According to the descriptions of the audio files, this feature is powered by SpokenLayer, which is a service that creates and distributes audio versions of the written word. This feature when it officially launches will come in handy when you want to listen to the latest news from these publications while you’re off doing something else.

According to TechCrunch’s interview with SpokenLayer’s CEO Will Mayo, the company specializes in making each publication sound distinct—so Wired will sound like Wired. Also, SpokenLayer and the publications split whatever is made from the audio ads attached to the podcasts. There isn’t that long a wait for this new feature to come early next month.

There will be a ‘Fruit Ninja’ movie

This new movie announcement proves anything can be turned into a movie. The mobile game Fruit Ninja is being turned into a film. New Line Cinemas got the rights for the game with J.P. Lavin and Chad Damiani writing the script. The story will “revolve around a team of misfits who are recruited to become Fruit Ninjas in order to save the world.” Expect silliness, a lot of it, is what we glean from that.

Source: The Verge

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Third ‘Star Wars’ trilogy is heading our way

Third ‘Star Wars’ trilogy is heading our way

We’re not just getting Episode VIII in 2017 and Episode IX in 2019. There is the upcoming Rogue One anthology film coming out this December. But aside from this Gareth Edwards-directed Star Wars film, there is also the standalone Han Solo film coming out in 2019. These two movies look like they’re part of the bigger plans Disney and Lucasfilm has for the Star Wars universe. Bob Iger, Disney’s chief executive, confirms at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference that a new anthology film is coming out by 2020, too. And that upcoming film will form a trilogy with Rogue One and the upcoming Han Solo movie with Alden Ehrenreich taking the titular role.

After that, we’re all kept in the dark with what’ll happen in the galaxy far, far away. But Iger has said he’s already in talks with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy on plans for the Star Wars beyond 2020.

Source: Rolling Stone