EU to battle 'geeky' IT image

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The information technology industry needs to show that it isn't just for "geeky, unsociable" people if it is to attract more women to fill a skills shortage, according to the EU's top technology official.

EU Commissioner Viviane Reding said stereotypes that IT careers are "boring and too technical" for women need to be overcome because few young women are taking engineering and technology degrees despite huge demand.

The field will need 300,000 qualified workers by 2010 in Europe alone, according to EU estimates.

"We need to show that IT … is interesting, is mainstream, is part of everyone's daily life -- and that an information and communications technology career is a choice for a creative person," she said.

Acer to sell laptop for movie watchers

NEW YORK -- Acer Inc., the Taiwanese computer maker that bought Gateway last year, said on Tuesday that it now aims to take laptop users as close as they can get to the high-definition home theater experience.

The top model of the new "Gemstone blue" line of laptops has a screen with the same resolution as an a top-of-the-line HDTV, at 1,920 pixels by 1,080 pixels, and will have six speakers, including a subwoofer, for so-called "5.1" surround sound.

The computer will go sale next month in the U.S. for $1,999. A model with three speakers and a smaller screen (but still HD resolution) will cost $1,699. Both will have built-in Blu-ray disc drives.

The $1,999 model has an 18.4-inch screen, placing it in the "desktop replacement" category of heavy laptops that aren't meant for more than occasional travel.

TiVo to deliver YouTube to TVs

SAN FRANCISCO -- TiVo users will be able to watch YouTube clips on their televisions by year's end, TiVo Inc. said Wednesday.

That's the latest move by YouTube to reach beyond the Web's regular boundaries. Fans of the popular online video provider can view its videos on their cell phones and Apple TV, a box that streams movies from people's computers to their TV.

Now TiVo users with a broadband Internet connection and a TiVo Series3 box, which includes the high-definition model, will be able to search, browse and watch YouTube videos directly on their TVs.

Each month, 66 million viewers watch about 2.6 billion videos on YouTube, according to the latest data by Nielsen Online.