Much of the tumultuous news from last week has, for better or worse, spilled over into this week — making it equally if not even more dramatic. The search engine clusterf*ck surrounding the rise of Qihoo 360 (NYSE:QIHU) is still ongoing, but we also saw an IP dispute come to a surprising end. For all that and more stories from the tech scene in Asia, read on for our staff picks for news of the week!

Steven’s pick: Rise of Asian Chat Apps Threaten Facebook on Mobile

I’m not a fan of Facebook. I feel it forces me into a bizarre contortion, dealing with old acquaintances, genuine friends, and lots of business contacts all in one service. Perhaps if Facebook had managed its zoning – or circling – a little better earlier on, I might not have gone so sour on it. And the Facebook Android app is – or was, up until this week’s very late update – a bit of a horror story. Now, I’m one of hundreds of millions of folks loving group messaging apps, and rarely check my Facebook save to add a few occasional photos to it. Personally, I use WeChat. And all that social chatter in these new apps has got to be hurting Facebook in the long-term.

Charlie’s pick: Sohu CTO Calls Sohu CEO “Really F*cking Stupid” Over Search Wars

The Qihoo-Baidu search war was entertaining enough before bit player Sohu tossed its hat into the ring. Or perhaps I should say Sohu’s CEO Charles Zhang tossed his hat into the ring on weibo, and (perhaps accidentally) this was almost immediately followed by a Weibo post from his CTO Wang Xiaochuan saying that getting into the Baidu-Qihoo war would be “really f*cking stupid.” Whoops!

Rick’s pick: Chinese Stolen Game Engine Taken Down, Thief Apologizes to Real Developer

Following up on one of the most interesting stories from last week, the case of the Chinese developer who ripped of an entire game engine from a Western developer came to a graceful end. Surprisingly, the thief even apologized to the original developer, noting that ‘copyright isn’t important in China.’

I can’t recall ever seeing this kind of satisfying resolution when it comes to a case like this, and that makes Charlie’s story one of my favorites of the entire year so far. But lamentably, just as one Chinese copycat is put to rest, another springs up to take its place.

Willis’ pick: Inside Life at Qihoo 360

I will shamelessly pick the news I wrote this week. I haven’t had the chance to speak to Qihoo 360’s boss Zhou Hongyi unfortunately, so I took an alternative route to find out more about him. Though he apparently has a gangster-like attitude, a part of me admires him as a entrepreneur who never says die. He is a real fighter who fought with big tech figures in the Chinese industry of course. As eccentric as he is, his fighting spirit is admirable, though annoying at times.

Joshua’s pick: Rise of Asian Chat Apps Threaten Facebook on Mobile

LINE is winning my admiration as I see my friends starting to use it more and more. Facebook might be a long shot to beat, but in the mobile space I believe there are still possibilities.

Charlie’s Pick: Xiaomi Gets Dat Paper

I’ll take Xiaomi’s securing a giant bucket of money as my choice for top news this week, because it comes at a rather interesting time. Xiaomi competitors are coming out of the woodwork, and in fact, this week also saw three cheap domestic smartphones launched on the same day. Does Xiaomi’s new $216 million funding mean that it has nothing to fear from these competitors? Certainly not. But it’s further evidence that Xiaomi has a head start in almost every conceivable measure: funding, social media presence, buzz, and (most important) actual sales. If other players in this market want to catch up, they’re going to need some creativity or an even bigger war chest. I wouldn’t count on seeing much of the former, but the latter…well, we’ll see. Right now, though, it looks like Xiaomi’s game to lose.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably admit here that I own a Xiaomi phone, but that doesn’t make me a Xiaomi cheerleader. After all, I also own an Apple computer, and I recently wrote a nice, long negative piece about Apple.)

Willis’ pick: A handful of Xiaomi for me too

Xiaomi’s funding news got to be my top pick for this week. We first covered Xiaomi July last year when it had its specs leaked and also raised its first round of funding at a $200 million valuation. Today, this Chinese company is probably valued at more than a billion dollars with its recent Series C round and achieving profitability along the way. All these are accomplished in just about a year. Its stunning growth is one that commands respect. Kai Lukoff of Techrice and Wandoujia made a recent comment which echoed my thoughts:

One good sign for the firm is that Xiaomi doesn’t just have users, it has real fans, in the same way that people are absolutely gaga about Apple products. Where iPhone is an amazing product + amazing brand + high price, Xiaomi is a good product + good brand (in China) + low price.

It’s true not just in China. Even in Singapore, folks who are closely keeping track of the China tech space are also gaga over the phone. The common complaint is that supply is so low that they can’t seem to get friends to buy them the phone at RMB 1,999.

Rick’s pick: Anonymous goes to Japan

I don’t really care so much about Xiaomi, so for me this week’s big news was the blow-back (or lack thereof?) over Japan’s new copyright law revision. Most of this, as you have likely heard by now, was from hacktivist group Anonymous, who swooped onto the scene to deface and bring down the web properties of certain offending parties in government and elsewhere. Strangely though, the group did make a bit of a hacker boo-boo of sorts, bringing down the Kasumiguara River Office, apparently confusing it for the Kasumigaseki government district. It was announced today that metropolitan police have launched a full probe, although I’m not sure what took them so long to roll into action as Anonymous made no secret about what it was doing (maybe they were reading Bloomberg?). In any case, while I don’t advocate the actions of Anonymous, I do hope that more people pay attention to this issue because it is deserving of more debate and discussion.

Steven’s pick: Flippin’ onto Android

For the sake of diversity, I’ll avoid picking Xiaomi’s funding as well – though it was enormously impressive; the biggest funding round in China since 360Buy’s last fundraiser – and instead select Flipboard’s launch of its “Chinese Edition” for Android. Yes, the localized version of Flipboard is already on iOS, but you can reach even more smartphone owners in China on Android. Plus, it’s fun to see an overseas startup do so well in China. It’s all too rare. Doubleplusgood, I really like using Flipboard on Android.

Enricko’s Pick: Foxconn goes to Indonesia

I don’t own a Xiaomi phone nor is it available in Indonesia, so I won’t be choosing that one. I prefer to choose my news of the week closer to home. My pick would definitely be Foxconn’s plans to open its massive factory (or factories) in Indonesia. I know that as a developing nation, one of our main problems would be unemployment. Why is it bad? You know the Jedi saying, unemployment leads to lack of money, no money leads to crime, and crime leads to suffering [1]. One million jobs in Indonesia would reduce its unemployment rate by one seventh! [2]. It will definitely be a stepping stone for us to kick the unemployment rate right in the face! I only hope that they open the factory outside of Java Island though; it’s getting pretty crowded here already, and some other regions need this boost even more.

The other day my colleague Charlie had his say about developments in technology and their affect on how we live. In a nutshell, he noted that technology brings immense benefits, but he also pondered whether or not we might be losing something as a result. He cited the conceptual Google glasses [1] as an example. Something like this would effectively mean that getting lost is a thing of the past.

Similarly, software like Evernote [2] means that my brain isn’t tasked with as much remembering as it used to be. My typing speed is decent these days, but my penmanship has gone down the crapper. In some Asian countries where calligraphy is more of an art form than elsewhere, there’s concern that students’ writing habits are weakening too.

Amid so many technological advances, we should be aware that there are often corresponding setbacks.

Nevertheless, I try to embrace new technologies as much as I can. It’s not unusual for me to spend hours working on some obscure workflow hack that ironically only saves me a few minutes each time I use it [3]. I’m well aware of this, but it’s more about the challenge of finding the best and most efficient way to solve a problem. For example, I could use a notebook and paper for my Chinese study [4], and it would probably be every bit as useful as a high-tech solution like the Chinese Flash app – but it wouldn’t be quite as fun. The process of finding shortcuts and elegant solutions is a reward that keeps motivation high.

But after years of being a (relatively) early adopter of the latest social site or app du jour, I’m a little more careful about where I place my attentions these days. Time is finite after all, and there should be some return on where I spend it.

Pinterest? Not interested. Instagram? Insta-meh… Byword? Yes, please. P2PU? I’ll take that too.

I should clarify that if I’m going to write about a service, I’ll set aside ample time to test it out. But whether or not it becomes a part of my daily life is an entirely different question.

I think it’s important to be choosy about these things. There is a danger in being a technology whore. I think that ultimately, choosing tools that help you make and do things is a good rule of thumb [5]. Few things are as annoying as ‘social butterflies’ who do, make, or contribute next to nothing.

I expect that since a high portion of our readership is pretty tech savvy (perhaps many are tech entrepreneurs or aspiring to be one) and that you guys know where I’m coming from. I’m curious to hear how you guys approach finding a technological equilibrium that feels healthy. Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Newsweek 2009

China has made great strides in the tech world over the last decade, particularly in the technology sector. Internet companies like Baidu, Sina, and Alibaba are recognizable names on the global stage, as are China Mobile and Huawei in the mobile space.

But for those of you who subscribe to the narrative that China is taking over the technology world, a new report suggests that notion might be wrong. Or at the very least premature.

The study was conducted by the Martin Prosperity Institute, and it identifies technology, talent, and tolerance as factors that “shape long-run prosperity.” It then used these factors to make a Global Creative Index. Sweden, the US, and Finland hold the top three spots, with New Zealand and Singapore as the only APAC regions in the top ten at sixth and ninth respectively. Of the 82 nations in the study, India and China were rated 50th and 58th respectively. You can view the top 25 below:

The report also examined factors like R&D investment, researchers per capita, innovation (measured in patents per capita). It combines these factors into a Global Technology Index, in which Finland, Japan, and the US top the rankings. As for other Asian nations, Korea comes in eighth spot, while Singapore comes in tenth. As for China and India, again they’re much further down the list in 30th and 42nd respectively.

These numbers make for an interesting contrast with the figure that we regularly publish here on China and India. There’s no denying the size and potential of those markets of course. But it’s important to keep in mind the many other factors that play a role in a nation’s success in the tech space.

For more information on the report, stay tuned over on The Atlantic where they’ll be publishing more about the findings this week.

[Lead photo: The Daily Beast]

The Department of Communication and Information is cooperating with Telkom, Bosscha Observatory and the faculty of mathematics and natural sciences at Bandung Institue of Technology to provide live streaming of the hilal) observation. The web video is relayed from 15 observation points, such as SPD Lapan Biak (Papua), Denpasar (Bali), Yogyakarta, Bosscha Observatory (West Java), and Lhoknga (Aceh).

Although it’s not guaranteed that you’ll see hilal, the service gives people an opportunity to participate in hilal observation, especially when poor visibility impedes viewing. Hopefully, the service can provide a better understanding of how the government decides the start of Ramadan each year. With any luck, the disagreements which often arise on this matter can be reduced thanks to this service.

[Photo: alvinburhani.wordpress.com]

I had a chance to give GeoSocials a run through, and I like it a lot. Its gorgeous design makes it enticing and sticky, way better than SCVNGR in my opinion. Nonetheless, I still called it a SCVNGR clone as GeoSocials follows a similar concept: do challenges, unlock rewards. But Krishna Prathab, the CEO and founder of GeoSocials, argues that it’s not. Don’t worry, we didn’t have a fight or anything. It’s more of a difference in opinion and in fact that difference in views brought us closer together.

In my previous post, I questioned why GeoSocials first launched in the U.S instead of India. America is a huge market but it’s also filled with strong competitors. Krishna explains that there is a far larger number of iPhone users in the U.S compared to India. The US move doesn’t seem to be a complete launch as Krishna revealed that he is more interested to gather data and feedback for future launches in other countries. So this is basically just a trial run for GeoSocials.

Krishna also swears that while creating GeoSocials, he didn’t know that Foursquare and SCVNGR existed. It’s a little hard to believe but, yes, that’s what he said. Nonetheless, he also graciously accepted our opinion and mentioned that others have called GeoSocials a SCVNGR clone too. I asked Krishna to list down the main differences between GeoSocials and its competitors and here’s his response:

1. 

   Krishna Prathab, founder of GeoSocials

   No Check-in: Unlike Foursquare and SCVNGR who we are usually compared with, we don’t deal with check-ins nor we are confined to any known famous place, restaurant or landmark.

2. Social: The core emphasis of GeoSocials is to enable people to make relevant, “real-life” social connections with people around your location in a gaming context. The very people who we travel with every day in the same train, or a neighbor who is a few blocks away, or a fellow co-worker in our office complex who we never got a chance to say ‘Hi’ to. GeoSocials is the gamification of geo-social networking in a hyperlocal context as opposed to the gamification of check-ins.

3. User Driven: GeoSocials is completely user driven. In GeoSocials the user drives the game by dropping treasures in places where he goes. Others claim them and in the process discover fun things to do. The users of GeoSocials drive the game and the interactions in ways they deem interesting.

4. Hyper Local Context: Everything in GeoSocials happens within a radius of a few miles around you. In fact your visibility of anything in the game – including treasures, people or rewards – are confined to a specific radius. We intentionally keep it this way to make the context of GeoSocials hyperlocal to a user. The action is always around your immediate vicinity and hence instantaneous.

5. Real-life Social Networking: This is by far the biggest differentiator and one of the core ideas behind GeoSocials. Let me [explain] this with my own example, I have about 500 friends in Facebook and I hardly interact with even five of them face-to-face, in real-life. How many of us know more than 10 of our neighbors well? These are the people who actually matter to us in real life and can give a helping hand when you are in need. GeoSocials enables you to make connections with people who matter in your real life.

Okay, so that’s Krishna’s argument. We wanted to put it up on Penn-Olson, because we value what founders can tell us about the services they create. I think it’s cool that Krishna accepts others’ opinion and takes them into consideration. From what I have understood, he has already started making plans to pivot.

Very often it’s not the uniqueness of an idea that makes it succeed, but sometimes its the execution that really differentiates between winning and losing. I believe Bouncity, a SCVNGR clone in Indonesia, has executed well and is a great example of this. I wish Krishna all the best, and I hope he has similar luck with GeoSocials.

As one of the sponsors of the Indonesian Youth Conference 2011, Intel Indonesia was committed to spreading inspirational stories for young people. Through the company “Warnai Hidupmu” (Color Your Life) movement on Twitter, Intel persuades its @komunitasintel followers to use PC as a productivity and creativity tool.

Several days before the conference, @komunitasintel started the initiative by conducting a live Twitter interview with Yoris Sebastian, a young entrepreneur who founded Oh My Goodness Creative Consulting agency. Yoris (@yoris) shared not only his hope for young people but also his experience with computers. He explained, “Technology made my life easier. It made me more creative in cost efficient way.”

The company did the same thing with Alanda Kariza, founder, sponsor and advisor of Indonesian Youth Conference (IYC). In one of her tweets, Alanda suggested that young people should take advantage of their opportunities and make their dreams come, because “the future starts now” she said.

At the D-day of the IYC, which was held on July 16, a quiz was held. @komunitasintel asked its followers to describe how computers can ‘color your life.’ As Alanda said, “Through IYC, Intel shows that we can optimize computers to expand our social network and create interesting contents such as video and websites.”

IYC is a national forum that was created for young people to voice their ideas and develop their creativity. It was held for the first time in July 2010 as Alanda’s project assignment after she’s elected to represent Indonesia at the British Council Global Changemakers 2009.

Courtesy of Intel Indonesia

Digital media company Komli Media has acquired ZestAdz, a mobile advertising company based in Chennai, India. Komli Media announced today that with the acquisition of ZestAdz it will be able to offer digital solutions on the mobile platform. These will be separate from the already existing display, video, search, and social media solutions to it offers to agencies, advertisers and publishers.

The mobile advertising industry is growing and Komli Media has strengthened its position by acquiring ZestAdz, which claims to deliver 5 billion ad impressions each month in around 20 key markets. Now the India-based company can deliver ads on the mobile network in the Asia-Pacific region through ZestAdz’s strong advertising and analytics platform.

The acquisition’s terms were not discussed in the announcement but it was mentioned that Asif Ali, the CEO of ZestAdz, would now handle Komli’s mobile product division along with the vice-president of Komli Media, Amit Bhartiya.

Mobile internet penetration in the Asia-Pacific region will grow two-fold from 623 million in 2011 to more than 1.22 billion in 2015, according to eMarketer. The estimated number of mobile users in India is 40 million as of now, and is expected to reach a staggering figure of 200 million users by 2016.

In related news earlier today Vserv, another India-based mobile advertising platform, received funding to the tune of US $3 million.

Among the other big companies that have been sent notices: Yahoo, Google, Bharti Airtel Ltd., Webaroo Technology (India) Pvt. Ltd., Amazon, AOL, Nokia, Bebo Inc., ExactTarget Inc., Ford Motor, Foursquare Inc., IBM, Linkedin, MySpace, NING Inc., Research In Motion Inc., Quora Inc., Salesforce.com Inc., Seesmic Inc., Siemens Enterprise Communications Inc., Sina.com Technology Co. Ltd., StatusNet Inc., PopBox Inc., Twitpic Inc., Peek Inc., The Iconfactory Inc., Ubermedia Inc., Yammer Inc., Facebook and Twitter.

The press release stated that many more companies and developers are going to be sent notices. The release proclaims that “We also welcome all the companies and developers for the licensing.” The confidence in the press release shows that the company is not unprepared and might have its cards ready.

What is Kootol’s Basis for Sending Notices to Such Big Companies?

CNET reports that Twitter was sent a notice along much the same lines last month. Twitter was said to be infringing on Kootol’s invention which allows the user to publish and send messages using one way or two way messaging and by subscribing to posts of other users of a network.

Could all this be just another attempt to grab money from the big guns? Or, is it a genuine claim by Kootol? Whatever it is, only time will tell. Until now, the companies notified haven’t replied with any response.

• South Korea enjoys the world’s best broadband quality. You may recall a report by Akamai that we wrote about back in May which stated that the average speed in South Korea was 13.7 Mbps. Hong Kong and Japan ranked as the second and third regions with 9.4 and 8.3 Mbps respectively. In contrast the world average is 1.9 Mbps.

• A worldwide social network map shows mostly blue, with a red patch indicating that QQ Zone dominates China. Take note of Sina and Tencent Weibo too, though. Microblogs are hot online properties in China.

• Tata Communications in India has a massive network that spans five continents and uses over 124,000 miles of network fibre. OnlineSchool says that it has enough cumulative length to reach halfway to the moon!

The interactive infographic has more content to play with, including interactive charts, maps, and real-time statistics. It’s certainly a good ‘info-read’ over the weekend.

]]> http://www.techinasia.com/state-of-the-internet/feed/ 0 http://placehold.it/350x150 http://www.techinasia.com/tech-digital-media-start-ups-indonesia/ http://www.techinasia.com/tech-digital-media-start-ups-indonesia/#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 02:08:03 +0000 Willis Wee http://www.techinasia.com/?p=41927 Read more »]]> When we talk about tech, digital media, and start-ups in Southeast Asia, we cannot pass over Indonesia, the country with a population of 240 million as well as 35 million Facebook users.

This year’s IDBYTE, coined as the largest tech conference in the country, will showcase Indonesia’s tech prowess. One of the brains behind this conference is the media-shy, Yansen Kamto.

Kamto first started his career at advertising agency McCann Erickson where he handled brands like Coca Cola, Unilever, Nestle, HSBC, Telkomsel, and XL Axiata. In June of last year, he resigned from his position as digital account director at Arc Worldwide, a digital arm of Leo Burnett.

He then co-founded a football marketing agency in July 2010 and a social gaming company a month after that. To take on an even more challenging role, he decided to set up IDBYTE together with Shinta W. Dhanuwardoyo from Bubu.com early this year.

We asked him some questions about the tech industry in Indonesia. Here are his answers:

1. How would you describe the digital media and tech scene in Indonesia?

The opportunity is here, the time is now. More people are embracing digital as part of their daily routine now in Indonesia. Obviously, this is a great opportunity for marketers, developers, and business owners. The country is now ready to enter the digital industry.

2. We have seen a lot of start-ups rising in Indonesia. Do you have any thoughts on this?

We have seen several acquisitions of local companies by some global names, like Yahoo! with Koprol, Groupon with Disdus, and most recently Livingsocial with Dealkeren. More and more foreign VCs are watching. Local conglomerates are getting ready too. This is definitely an exciting time for local start-ups. The question now is whether these start-ups are ready to take it to the next level. I personally believe the industry needs a more organized ecosystem to empower the start-ups. A proven business model and a strong marketing plan are essential foundations to stand out.

3. What will be the next tech wave in Indonesia? Is there any specific industry we should watch out for?

I think e-commerce has huge potential given the market size here. If social and local are blended well in the mixture, perhaps it might create the next big thing in Indonesia’s digital industry.

4. What are some factors that are preventing the growth of this industry?

The industry needs to work together to produce a stronger and more solid stand. Collaboration is the keyword here. The mindset of working together to achieve common goals is very important.

5. What motivated you to set up IDBYTE? How does it help the industry in Indonesia?

At IDBYTE we strongly believe that the digital industry can contribute to the country’s economy. We want to get everyone together to accelerate the potential into concrete benefit for the people. We believe that the local industry growth depends on three main pillars: local developers, local business owners and local marketers. Ultimately we want to build a strong ecosystem that will put Indonesia on the global digital map.

6. What should we expect at this year’s IDBYTE?

There will be top names from Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, eBay and Yahoo! sharing how to integrate digital as part of the overall business strategy relevant to Indonesian market. At the Bubu Awards – this year is the seventh – we will showcase the exceptional local talents that contribute significantly to the digital industry. It’s going to be the biggest digital event in the country.

7. Do you have any tips for aspiring entrepreneurs who might be reading this?

Set your goal, do what it takes to get there and refine the steps!

Disclosure: Penn-Olson is a media partner of this year’s IDBYTE tech conference in Indonesia

As one of the most popular mobile handset brands in India, RIM’s BlackBerry has paid their dues and communicated their product features in a creative manner. Here are five fun-loving ads to help ease your Monday blues:

1. We are the BlackBerry Boys

Here is one of the hottest and most popular BlackBerry commercials by Vodafone Eassar in India. It’s a really catchy song, and almost everyone in the country knows this rhythm.

2. BlackBerry Messenger Ad – QR code

This ad paints a beautiful picture on how to get a girl’s contact details through a QR code. It’s a fun way to showcase its QR code reader.

3. Love what you do

This ad showcases every function of the Blackberry handset, inserting the tagline ‘love what you do’ on each one.

4. BlackBerry Messenger – Music

Want to share music through your mobile? The BlackBerry Messenger can do that too. This video gives us an intro, asking “Are you missing something?”

5. BlackBerry Messenger in a Dormitory with Airtel

This creative ad shows how students in the dormitory are communicating through their BlackBerry handsets even when the lights are out and forced to sleep. This reminds me of the good old days.

1. India’s $35 Android Tablet Finally Ready Ship

India has seen a wave of tablets hitting the local market recently, but our story about the country’s homegrown $35 dollar tablet really caught our readers’ eyes this month. Our top post for the month of June, this overview of the ever-so cheap Sakshat includes a demo video that’s a must see.

2. China’s Anthony Weiner: Govt Official Mistakenly Woos Mistress on Weibo

Our new China contributor Li Chen made his debut this month with a bang, being the first to break the story of Xie Zhiqiang, the Chinese official who exchanged microblog messages with his mistress in public, mistakenly thinking that no one else could see. Boy was he ever wrong!

3. Sung-Bong Choi: Korea’s Answer to Susan Boyle (Warning, You Will Cry)

Who could blame readers for getting enthused over this post. This Korea’s Got Talent star made us all teary-eyed with his heart-breaking story and incredible voice. When we reported on his tale, his YouTube video was just picking up speed, at around 170,000 views. It now has 8.6 million.

Over the past month, more information about Sung-Bong Choi has emerged, and his Wikipedia page has filled out over time. Some have expressed concern that his previous training was understated in order to maximize dramatic effect, but we don’t really care. It’s still pretty damn remarkable.

4. Spending $100,000 For a Facebook App is Just Plain Stupid

After the Malaysia Tourism Department shelled out $590,000 for six Facebook apps, we couldn’t help but dive into this story. And rather than just scratching our heads in astonishment over what we thought was a veritable bone-head buy, we thought we’d get a second opinion.

We spoke to Facebook expert Preetham Venkky (pictured right), Business Head at KRDS India, and asked him what he thought of Malaysia’s spending. His reply is pretty fascinating, and if you haven’t read it yet, go do it now.

5. The Problem with Facebook in Japan

Adam Acar tells us about his survey of Japanese ex-Facebook users, highlighting issues that they have with the social networking platform. While Facebook is undeniably growing and reaching new users in Japan, Adam gives us a little insight into some reservations that this group has about the service.

6. Sung-Bong Choi’s Video Went Viral: Thanks to Facebook, Reddit

We revisited the Sung-Bong Choi story after it attained viral status, taking a brief look how the video spread as well as it did. It seems that even after our initial post the week before, readers were still pretty fascinated with this amazing tale.

7. Hungry for Apple, Chinese Teen Girl Offers Virginity for White iPhone 4 [VIDEO]

We aren’t completely sure if this girl is just trying to make a name for herself online, or if she really does want an iPhone THAT badly. But whatever the case this story was pretty remarkable, and our readers clearly thought so too. Mainstream media has since picked up on the story, yet another insane example of the lengths that some Chinese will go to to get their favorite AppleApple product.

It’s still not as crazy as that kid that sold his kidney…

8. 10 Tips To Run a Successful Facebook Advertising Campaign

If you ever use Facebook’s advertising platform you’ll want to check out this post. We spoke to Advit Sahdev, the CEO of ODigMa, in an effort to understand the process a little better. The tips that he shared are interesting and insightful, a must-read for any marketers out there. Do check them out.

9. Cadbury and FCUK Facebook Page Taken Down in India

Some mysterious happenings are going down over on Facebook India, as the pages for a number of major brands suddenly went MIA this month. After we reported on Pizza Hut’s Facebook page disappearing, we didn’t really expect that phenomenon would continue.

Moral of the story: Study up on Facebook’s guidelines and rules regarding promotions.

10. How a Malicious Adobe Flash File Caused the China Gmail Hack [VIDEO]

After a new China Gmail hack controversy flared up last month, we found an alarming video showing how a Chinese-made malicious Adobe Flash file could inject a spying forwarding address into your Gmail settings – without you even realising it.

This very targeted hack – known as a ‘spear phishing’ attack – is so cunning that it doesn’t even need to know the victim’s password. To learn how to stay safe from this, check out the video of the exploit in action.

Here are 7 tips to help you get most out of your corporate blog. These tips are gathered as I manage a corporate blog myself, run a digital consulting firm, and also through my years of experience learning and writing about how businesses interact.

1. Help customers use products/services more effectively

Your blog’s primary aim should help make life easier for your customers. Successful corporate blogs regularly address the problems their customers are facing with their product.

An user friendly tone of the blog with engaging content makes it easier for readers to engage in the conversation and provide feedback on products. If you keep the primary aim for the blog to make life easier for your users, you can’t only target the old loyal users but also attract the new guys. Define what values your products can give.

2. Produce content, be the thought leader in the industry

You loved the above sentence? Right, with a blog you can become a thought leader in your industry. How? Simply learn and create quality content.

Learn from your customers, experts, competitors and from the industry in general.
Create for your customers, experts, competitors and for the industry in general.

Learn how people are using your products, try to find out how the use is evolving and where it is going. Create content such as, How-to, Opinion, Trends-watcher, Case Studies, and Research Report. Share the content on social media by targeting those who would love to read and share that content. Having a targeted followings on social media very much depends on the type of content you share.

Remember, becoming a thought leader requires unconventional impact on your customers and the industry in general.

3. Connect with the influential

People are already talking on the web about the problems which your products can solve. Well getting general buzz is important, it is also crucial to connect with fellow influential bloggers and content producers. Comment on those blog with a back link, invite them to interact on your blog.

Connecting with the influential is critical, but don’t oversell yourself. Talk about what’s relevant and provide value through your content and network.

4. Make it part of your marketing plans

A corporate blog works best when you align it with your overall marketing strategy. This includes your company news (both good and bad), social media and traditional media.

For example, if a visitor lands on your blog through a promotional link or a google search, it must serve the needs of the visitor by providing related information about the promotion you’re pushing. It means the editor must be well aware of what’s going on within the company and what’s new in different departments. The entire digital experience has to be integrated and concerted, and that includes your corporate blog.

5. Be Genuine

I firmly believe in being genuine to create the ‘WOW’ effect. I apply the same principle in blogging. All this is worthless if you are trying to fool your audience. Don’t write behind an Admin account (aka ghost writing), show the real you. Add your photo and brief introduction. It is also a strict ‘no’ to outsource your corporate blog to content generators who know nothing about your company and products.

6. Build a great team

Yes, you know that, but it is more than just the hiring phase. You need to hire the right people. Look for people with new ideas, a new set of eyes who look at things differently. The right people who don’t take jobs as jobs. Rather, it is their responsibilities and they are happy to work on the challenges.

Remember, recruiting great people is the first step. People work best when they feel good about themselves. Give them freedom with clear guidelines to help your customers. This point sounds simple by it is often forgotten when trying to build a team that understands digital media and corporate blogging.

7. Measure, celebrate, and move forward

All this is worthless if you do not test and measure results. Find what works and what doesn’t and then iterate your plans accordingly. It requires a full long post and another day of coffee chat to get in the depth of measuring results. Perhaps, Olivier Blanchard’s social media measurement deck could provide some insights:

Final note

It requires time and patience to build a community on blog. Through your journey, things will go wrong at times. It doesn’t matter, celebrate the victories and work on your flaws. The secret to winning over the long run depends on knowing your strengths and improving your weaknesses.

If you’re already doing some great work with your company’s blog, what else would you add to this list. If not, which of the tips you liked the most? Share your points in comment.

Apps and Social Connections

So, the review… Since Jiepang check-ins can only be made on the various mobile apps, the site has most bases covered, with apps for iPhone/iOS, Android, Blackberry, and JAVA/J2ME-based phones. There’s also a mobile version of the site, to keep WinMo and various other users catered for too. The iOS and Android apps keep up a good level of feature parity, and both are now available in English as well as simplified or Traditional Chinese.

In a recent development, users of Sina Weibo can sign-in to Jiepang with their Sina ID, so as to avoid a new sign-up process. Once inside Jiepang, users can sync their activities on the service to a number of other Chinese social-networks (Sina Weibo, RenRen, KaiXin, Douban, and FanFou). Sharing/syncing to Twitter, however, is not an option. In addition, you could search for friends who might already use Jiepang by scouring your contacts on all the above SNS, plus the option of Google or MSN contacts too.

The actual Jiepang.com website serves as a place for managing your contacts or editing info, but is not needed for general usage. As with most other LBS, it’s all about the apps.

Going Out, Checking In, and Being Seen

Now it’s time to go out. Jiepang – unlike Gowalla or Foursquare in China – has detailed and accurate listings in every city in China I’ve visited (though it’s much more comprehensive in more developed cities), so there’s no need for the time-consuming manual addition of a new venue, since the restaurant, bar or gym that you’re at is very likely already listed, right there in the Jiepang app’s ‘Places’ tab. Of course, new venues can be user-submitted, but it’s not often that it’s required.

When checking in at a venue, there’s the option to share this with your ‘sync’ social-networks, so that your check-in could hit your various social-network profiles with just one click (see photo, above).

Unlike with Gowalla and Foursquare, there’s no distance-check that might prevent fanciful – ie: false – check-ins, which might be something to do with civilian GPS being so inaccurate in China, or so as not to exclude users on older phones who have to rely on very vague wifi/cell signal triangulation.

Integrated into the iOS and Android apps – I didn’t test the Blackberry or JAVA OS versions – are maps for each venue, which are now served up by Baidu Maps (see photo, below).

Mayorships, badges and points are on offer, as users check-in to different venues, to encourage frequent usage of the app. More enticingly – because we humans love free stuff, right? – there are sporadic promos that give away actual products. Which brings me to…

Brand Partnerships, Coupons and Deals

Since the end of last year, Jiepang has been pushing into brand-based promotions, as a way to monetize the service, and bring in more of its relatively well-heeled young users. At the moment, there are high-profile campaigns running in cooperation with fashion giants Burberry and Louis Vuitton, offering unique, or limited edition (virtual) badges to Jiepang users who engage with the brand by checking-out the promo, or check-in to the brands actual stores. The dedicated LV brand page can be seen here, and shows how Jiepang is tapping into the desire of many young Chinese to be seen at an exclusive place, and to then broadcast that effectively to their social networks.

As for real-world discounts and freebies, Jiepang seems more active with Starbucks in giving away actual things, such as last year’s multiple check-ins for a free coffee, or this summer’s Frappucino badge (see photo, below) that could win you a free drink.

One more brand-oriented aspect – this one being more unique to Jiepang, compared to its western counterparts – is celebrity events or stores, which are also massively popular check-in venues, and which also bring an element of glamour-by-association to users who check-in there.

One more thing…

Please head back to Penn-Olson on Monday (UPDATE: Monday; here’s the interview) to see the full interview with the Jiepang CEO, David Liu, and hear more about the site’s genesis, users, and its future.

To encourage the growth of entrepreneurship in information and communication technology in Indonesia, PT Telkom is launching the “Indigo Fellowship” program. This program invites the public to channel their creativity into digital work, and turn it into a business. The Indigo Fellowship competition has been held since 2009 and has already successfully nurtured digital talents to grow into new businesses.

This year there were about 500 participants in the competition. Indra Utoyo, the director of IT and supply at PT Telkom explained:

Interest to participate and submit digital creative works continues to increase. It shows that the development of technology and information is much needed, in order to facilitate community activities in a more easy and practical manner.

Telkom has designated US$3,800,000 for the Indigo Fellowship 2011, this coming from its total US$27,380,000 budget for developing partnerships and fostering community. These funds will be used create a business incubation and venture capital program named Indigo Venture for competition winners this year. The winners will also receive entrepreneurship guidance from the Telkom Group.

We have written before on why Indonesia is an up-and-comer on the tech start-up scene. Initiatives like this one only serve to solidify the nation’s growing reputation as a country to watch out for in the years to come.

via Antara

Moderator:

• Saumil Nanavati co-founder of Chalkboard

Panelists:

• Andi Boediman, IdeoSource
• Tan Swee Yeong, Angel Investor
• Sandeep Casi, Cinemacraft
• Kenny Mathers, Nokia

#1040: Panelists are doing their introductions, warming up.

#1046: First question: What’s going on with mobile in Asia? Sandeep says that smartphones help to open up the Japanese mobile market which was previously very much controlled by the telcos, an interesting trend within Japan. He also feels that mobile is the key content consumption device in Asia, pointing to massive number of mobile users in India.

Swee Yeong believes the fusion between e-commerce and location will be the next big thing, probably larger in Asia than in the U.S in the future. In Indonesia, Andi says that e-payment is gaining quite a lot of traction but there is still a long way to go. If things get better, mobile commerce and other related services like social commerce could be huge in Indonesia, considering the large number of mobile users in the country.

#1057: Andi says BlackBerry is huge in Indonesia, larger than the number of iPhone users. In Indonesia, a lot of companies are providing content as a business model. Surprising, there isn’t much on mobile ads. Virtual goods are gaining steam in Indonesia with Mig33 leading the front. Kenny talks about Angry Birds, whose business model changed largely from only selling game apps to also producing plush toys and other merchandising items. “If you have a good mobile product, the business model can scale to other business forms,” said Kenny.

#1103: “Ringtones could be huge in Asia, and the same goes for the Android platform,” said Sandeep. But Swee Yeong doesn’t agree that ringtones and wallpapers are a good business model. “It’s a sunset industry,” he said. (I’m finding it pretty interesting to see panelist rebutting each other’s points.) Andi says that Angry Birds is a one-off success and that model shouldn’t be followed strictly. It’s tough for developers to create another Angry Birds. Instead stick to the basics, try serve a need.

#1114: Finally, the discussion moves over to location. Swee Yeong says that location is sexy but Sandeep says Foursquare and Gowalla aren’t even profitable. It’s important to build an app that meets a need in order to be able to bring in revenue. It remains to be seen if location can be a successful business model in Asia.

That’s a wrap folks.

IDBYTE offers a great opportunity for Indonesian developers to build Android mobile applications to promote tourism. Tourism is currently booming in the nation as it is expected that 7.7 million tourists will visit this year, generating over $8 million in revenue.

This competition (supported by Qualcomm and HTC) is open to individuals, teams, or business entities. The mobile application must be designed to promote tourism in Indonesia. It must also be original and not already published in the Android Market.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is due to launch in 16 additional markets over the next 30 days, including five countries in the Asia Pacific region, namely Indonesia, India, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore. The announcement was made last Friday night. The full list of countries below:

• UK
• Netherlands
• Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Hong Kong
• Australia
• Venezuela
• Spain
• Germany
• UAE
• Singapore
• Mexico
• France
• Italy
• India
• Indonesia
• Colombia

RIM’s BlackBerry is a popular mobile brand in all the five Asia Pacific countries mentioned but it remains to be seen if the PlayBook can enjoy similar success. In Indonesia RIM’s tablet is already available in the black market, priced at around $975, a huge contrast compared to the highest price of an authorized model at $699.

Prior to the launch announcement, RIM had also teased BlackBerry fans in the Philippines and Indonesia with its “Meet The PlayBook” campaign, capturing the attention of bloggers’ interest in both countries. That said, it is somewhat surprising that Philippines wasn’t included in the list of countries in RIM’s release.

Gregory Wade, RIM’s managing director for Southeast Asia said that RIM’s research has shown that Indonesia is a market that is becoming tablet savvy and is very interested in consuming multimedia tablets.

Indonesia is a market crowded with tablets offerings, and in recent months we have seen Lenovo’s LePad, Acer’s Iconia Touchbook, Huawei’s Ideos S7, and the mighty iPad 2 all made available in Indonesia. With the addition of BlackBerry PlayBook, Indonesians are seriously spoilt for choice.

We have included three introductory videos, including two application demos on the PlayBook (they look pretty awesome). Catch them below and let us know if you would buy a BlackBerry PlayBook.

BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet — It’s here!

BlackBerry PlayBook ‘Scrapbook’ App Demo

BlackBerry PlayBook Need For Speed Demo

Although Internet usage in Indonesia is growing at a great pace, some in the country still see room for improvement. The Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Tifatul Sembiring, is urging people to be more productive during their time surf in cyberspace. During the Indonesia International Communication Expo and Conference in Jakarta, he expressed hope that content developers and site operators could develop higher quality content for the nation to consume.

Tifatul is known to be quite strict in monitoring Internet usage in Indonesia. According to him, Indonesia still more focus on fun and entertainment, and people tend to enjoy social media sites such as Facebook. In the future Tifatul hopes there will be more sites that can educate the public in accordance with state ideology. “Ideally, the technology that we develop in Indonesia should be used to shore up nationalist values,” he said.

This is not the first time that we have seen the Minister dictate what Indonesians should and should not do online. Tifatul has lobbied to filter negative information from the Internet, forcing RIM to filter pornographic content on its BlackBerry handset. Ironically, he has been engaged in some unusual social media activities himself, reportedly quoting Hitler in a Twitter message last year.

But some of his initiatives appear more beneficial. Under his oversight, the Indonesian government recently launched a program aimed at giving internet access to all regions in the country. With this project, Tifatul expects the use of internet could help to enhance people’s lives in a more tangible way, not just as a means of socializing.

via The Jakarta Globe

Research In Motion (RIM) held a BlackBerry Developer Day yesterday at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) campus. This one-day event was attended by more than 300 invitees, mostly application developers, students, and technology enthusiasts.

This BlackBerry Developer Day was the fifth held by RIM in Indonesia. Previously, RIM had held the same event in Bali, twice in Jakarta, and once in Surabaya. Johan Kremer, Head of Alliances SEA at RIM explained:

Because Indonesia is the largest market for BlackBerry, we want to give more knowledge about the various BlackBerry applications and invite the community to create new applications. We also want to organize BlackBerry Developer Day events in other cities in Indonesia later.

The event featured several success stories from some Indonesian application developers, namely Elasitas, 7Langit, and Tasterous. RIM also gave presentations about webworks and Adobe AIR development for the BlackBerry Playbook and BlackBerry Smartphones.

An attending Blackberry developers named Bobby shared his thoughts with Penn Olson at the event:

Compared to the previous BlackBerry Developer Day [in other cities in Indonesia], the explanation of the application development is clearer and fits for local [Indonesian] developers, so we got more knowledge from the event.”

Considering Indonesia is such a huge BlackBerry nation, this event was highly anticipated both by tech enthusiasts and BlackBerry fans. Witnessing such excitement among those interested in Blackberry development, we think it bodes very well for RIM’s chances of maintaining its competitive edge in the Indonesian market.

According to the Minister of Communication and Information, Mr. Tifatul Sembiring, so far 32,800 villages in Indonesia have been connected to the Internet. “Development for the Palapa Ring fiber-optic backbone is now running at 80%, and there is still about 10,000 square km in Eastern Indonesia left to go” he said.

The penetration of information and communication technology in rural areas is still low, so the government still very much needs to develop a rural information system. The government also encourages a healthy and safe internet usage to improve the living quality and welfare of the community. With the internet connected to every area, then all Indonesians can develop their technological capability with no space and time boundaries.

Although the development of the internet in Indonesia is quite high (with respect to social and digital media) but the quality and network coverage is still not evenly distributed throughout Indonesia. The internet distribution project gives hope for further development in Indonesia in the future.

Malaysia is currently working on something called the Digital Malaysia Masterplan in an effort to improve the socio-economic development of the country. This innovative digital economy framework is intended to transform Malaysia from a middle-income country to a high-income economy by the year 2020.

By promoting the growth of Internet penetration and social ICT use, Malaysia wants to create integrated and interconnected development in every sector. In 2020 it is expected that broadband penetration will extend to cover the whole country. Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, a social media enthusiast himself, said that to reach that goal Malaysia needs an investment of $444 billion, annual growth of six per cent, and it needs to generate about 3.3 million high-income jobs.

With many technological advancements, Malaysia has succeeded in changing its economic base from agriculture to industry services. The government’s Economic Transformation Plan is expected to boost Malaysia’s Gross National Income (GNI) from $6,700 in 2009 to $15,000 in 2020.

In a joint initiative with the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), the Malaysian government has developed the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC). This council will provide valuable input and perspective on information and communications technologies that support ‘Digital Malaysia.’ Malaysian Prime Minister Najib (also the chairman of GSIAC) said that Digital Malaysia would accelerate growth across all sectors of the economy and create a climate conducive to innovation, investment, and talent.

Perhaps last month’s announcement that every Malaysian citizen will receive a government designated email is part of this Digital Malaysia Masterplan. The 1Malaysia email initiative, however, hasn’t been very well-received by Malaysians.

Compared with other Asian countries, Malaysia is currently still trying to compete in the field of information technology. This economic plan lays out a roadmap that makes it possible for Malaysia to become one of the leading Asian countries in ICT.

[Via Bernama]

We received a white paper from Incitez, a digital media consultancy firm, that contains useful information about Singapore’s online community. Here’s a quick brief before you plunge into the powerpoint deck and other resources below:

Internet statistics: Singapore has 2.9 million online population.

Online search: Google is the leading search engine with 77% market share.

Facebook and Twitter: 82% of Singapore online users are on social networks with 2.5 million on Facebook and 13.5% who visited Twitter in January this year.

Online Video: An average Singapore online user spends about 10.7 hours each month watching online videos. Total unique video viewers is reported at 2.3 million, which is pretty close to Singapore’s total online population at 2.9 million.

Blogs: Blogs reach in Singapore hit 55% in 2010.

Mobile: There is a total of 7.3 million mobile subscribers. This figure is 2 million above our total population. Apparently, there are quite a handful Singaporeans who are holding more than one phone while 3G users in Singapore hit a whopping 4.8 million in 2011. iPhone rules in Singapore, accounting for 72% of mobile usage.

Travel: About 1 out of every 2 Singapore Internet users does online research and book their ticket on the Internet for travel. This figure is highest in Southeast Asia. Tiger Airways is Singapore’s top airline website.

Online retail: ‘eBay’ is the top retail-related search term in Singapore, but Apple.com is the favorite online retail website, commanding 575 monthly unique visitors. Second and third favorites shopping destination for Singaporeans are Amazon sites and Alibaba.com, respectively.

Online banking: Visits to online banking site hit 889,000 per month in January this year. A 100,000 increased from last year’s January statistics. Singapore has the highest online banking reach in Southeast Asia at 30.9%.

If this isn’t complete enough, more could be found on a wiki-site build by students at Singapore Management University. It also contains valuable information about Singapore’s online community. This online user behavior infographic is particularly easy-to-read and helpful for others to understand online users behavior in Singapore.

Also, check out Singapore’s mobile usage activity.

Tech Start-ups in Singapore

The above statistics do look great considering Singapore only has a population size of 5 million. Nonetheless, its small population still posed as a problem for local start-ups to scale.

“Singapore is a small island with surprisingly a lot of start-ups in digital business. And, the government has created excellent environment for them,” said Rocky Fu, CEO of Incitez.

“Unfortunately, digital business is limited by the country’s small space; to continue the growth, start-ups need to explore opportunities beyond Singapore after seeing success locally,” he added.

Our interview with Jeffrey Paine, partner at Founders Institute also highlighted the same problem. When asked about the greatest obstacles faced by entrepreneurs in Singapore, Paine said that “local [Singapore] and regional markets are small and hard to scale evenly.”

Despite small in population size, Singapore, in my opinion, remains to be one of the best countries in Asia to develop a technology idea. Find out why.

The study asserts that the commercial value of illegal software in the Asia Pacific region reached $18.7 billion. It also claims the global the revenue lost due to software piracy jumped to $59 billion, nearly double what it was in 2003. For Indonesia, the study says the commercial value of software without licenses that are installed on personal computers reached $1.32 billion in 2010. BSA says that it isn’t just personal users, but many companies still don’t realize that they’re using illegal software

Keep in mind however that the BSA is an organization that promotes copy protection, so this isn’t the most objective of study in the world. Furthermore, for the BSA to assign a certain amount of dollars lost to each act of piracy assumes that each pirate would have purchased that software at full price if they had not stolen it. This obviously is not the case, so take these numbers with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see which nations pirate the most, and which ones pirate the least. Check out the charts below, and notice that Indonesia ranks number 11 on the ‘Bad Guys’ list. It’s interesting to note the other countries on that list, as well as the ones who pirate the least.

Donny Sheyoputra, Chief Representative of BSA Indonesia said, “The study shows that people need more education about software, that the software downloaded from P2P networks is mostly illegal, and installation of software licensed for one computer but installed on several computers at home or in the office is piracy.”

The Indonesian government has decided to jump into the piracy wars as well. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated that intellectual property rights must be protected and that violations must be eliminated. To that end, the government has formed a National Team for Combating Violations of Intellectual Property Rights and launched the “Fight Pirated Software … For Better Indonesia” campaign in October of last year. The government and the BSA will also provide training for investigators from the Police Force to better fight piracy.

While educating the public why they shouldn’t pirate might be great for rights holders, in contrast there are other education programs that benefit Indonesians directly. Recently an independent community conducted a computer literacy programs and promoted the use of open source software to avoid piracy. Likewise, its good to see the Indonesian government also promote the use of open source software as well.

While Indonesia scored a 87% in pirating percentage, other Asia nations like China scored 78%, South Korea 40%, Taiwan 37%, Singapore 34% and Japan was tied with the US for the nation that pirates the least, both at 20%

Indonesian mobile phone brand, IMO, is beginning to give more attention to educational institutes as a form of branding strategy. IMO’s producer, PT Konten Indomedia Pratama is partnering with Gunadarma University and Bina Sarana Informatika (BSI) School to provide students with scholarships to China.

Starting in June, 16 students from the universities will visit IMO’s factory in China. The scholarship program is exciting for students.

For four months, selected students will learn to design, test, and create a mobile phone product from scratch. They will also learn how to develop educational applications that runs on the mobile phones. These phones, created by students, will be introduced to the universities and sold to the fellow students.

I Made Wiryana (a Balinese name), Coordinator of International Cooperation Gunadarma University, hopes that students can learn to design and produce world-class products as they become technology entrepreneurs through this program.

In Indonesia, IMO’s occupies the middle range of the mobile phone market segment. Many IMO users are students and this scholarship program, I would say, is a good strategy to improve brand image and promotion among a targeted audience in Indonesia. IMO’s effort also helps Indonesian students to learn through this campaign/scholarship. Huawei, as we last reported, is also taking part in the education sector by providing a training center. Through programs like these, the telecommunications and mobile industry in Indonesia could strengthen while preparing the next generation for the upcoming mobile trend. It’s a win-win situation and hopefully more technology companies will follow suit.

via Kompas

Well, it didn’t really come as a surprise. Asia does have quite a bit of AR case studies. I have gone through a lot of them and thought that the five AR case studies below from Indonesia, China, Singapore and Taiwan are really worth sharing.

1. Indonesia -Toyota Yaris

Toyota’s print ad on Kompas went AR. It’s a smart way to maximize the ad space, isn’t it?

AR&Co, the company which developed the campaign is the first & leading augmented reality in Indonesia with strong partnership with Total Immersion.

2. Indonesia – Kompas AR Newspaper

Now, not only ads but the entire Kompas newspaper went AR. Kompas claimed that the project is the first augmented reality newspaper in Asia.

3. China – Pringles

Axis3D developed an online football game for Pringles in China with the help of Total Immersion. This AR experience provides an unique human interface to control the football player using the Pringles packaging. The smooth experience shown on the video is quite amazing.

4. Singapore – SingTel

XXX studios was assigned the task of creating a 5-minute AR presentation for Bill Chang, EVP of the Business Group of SingTel, to visually illustrate the complex process of business cloud computing in a simple-to-understand manner. So, here’s the final work, an impressive AR presentation.

5. Taiwan – Citizen Watches

Total Immersion’s Partner in Taiwan, Ya de Li Technology developed an AR Fitting Room for Citizen Watches. The AR experience was deployed online and in major department stores during Chinese New Year.

You probably have seen quite a bit about Total Immersion partnering with other firms to work on these AR projects. If you haven’t already known, Total Immersion is the world’s largest augmented reality partner network. I particularly like this quote from its website:

“After a decade of research and development, Augmented Reality (AR) as a technology has finally reached maturity in the consumer market in expanding verticals and industries. The era of social media, web2.0 and announced Web3.0, user generated content, internet and mobile generation, interactive and digital immersion associated with favorable devices and network evolutions is today perfect ground for massive Augmented Reality deployments.”

The video below, which contains numerous AR examples would justify what were said in the quote.

While BSA showed examples from the West, there are also several examples in my mind that are from Asia. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great infographic but I thought it would be good to share some examples from Asia as well.

However, just for a heads up, one of the examples isn’t used for marketing purposes. It’s used to monitor employees productivity instead. It is still a good-to-know, though. Enjoy both examples from East and the West.

Augmented reality: Taiwan-based, Ya De Li Technology developed an Augmented Reality Fitting Room for Citizen Watches. It’s pretty cool. The AR campaign was launched during the Chinese New Year festival, supported by GQ Magazine.

Facial recognition: In the past, the use of face recognition security devices was limited to accessing secure jails or military arsenals. But now private companies in China are also making use of this technology, to keep tabs on their workers. Beijing Sunrise Technology is one of the companies using the technology.

Location-based mobile: Singapore-based Chalkboard is a local ad-network that helps merchandisers create location-based ads and improve walk-in traffic to stores.

Now, the brilliant infographic:

Last weekend, Julian and I were at Jakarta, Indonesia to attend East Ventures’s ‘Jakarta Ventures Night’. Live blogging and tweeting about the start-ups were fun until the entire Hyatt Hotel’s Wi-Fi went down. We managed to resume blogging thanks to Teknoup’s Founder, Citra, who kindly helped us gain connection through his iPhone 3G hotspot. Teknoup had also recently received seed funding from East Ventures.

Last week was also a week which saw many Internet giants played their part in helping the earthquake victims in Japan. Do check out Rick Martin’s comprehensive help list. We also introduced start-ups RockTo from Indonesia, Artyii from Singapore, EZTable from Taiwan and a long list of Indonesia start-ups during East Ventures’s event. Lastly, we are honored to help promote Twestival Singapore which will take place this Thursday, 24 March.

1. Twestival Singapore: This year, for @TwestivalSg 2011, we are supporting Children-at-Risk Empowerment Association (CARE). Join us if you can.

2. East Ventures Jakarta Ventures Night: Here’s the long list of start-ups which were covered during the event. We missed a couple but we’ll cover them this week. 

3. Japan Earthquake Help List: Want to help the Japan earthquake victims but don’t know how? Rick Martin, our friend based in Tokyo has come up with a convenient list of donation methods for various countries.

4. 29 Students Raised $18,000 via Social Media: A total of $17,900 was raised by students.The trip which lasted from Feb. 18 – 27, relied solely on social media — the blogs, tweets, and status updates of the students who hail from cities across the world — to capture an audience that donated generously in exchange for their content.

5. Carlsberg’s Streaker Interactive Game: To kick off the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, official beer sponsor Carlsberg and Euro RSCG Hong Kong have created an interactive online game to get word-of-mouth going. Try it, it’s pretty fun!

Tech & News

6. Facebook Silently Launches Check-in Service in Malaysia

7. Nokia & Union Bank of India to roll out Mobile Payment Services

8. Bharatstudent Announces Integration with Facebook

9. Twitter Should Have a News Portal like Sina Weibo

10. The Japan Earthquake Buzz on Twitter [CHART]

11. Yahoo! India hosts ‘HACK U’ for IIT Kharagpur Students

12. Shanghai Launches 500 Wi-Fi Telephone Booths

13. From Print in China to the iPad [INFOGRAPHIC]

14. Groupon China Starts Offering Deals in Beijing and Shanghai

15. Japan PM Starts English Twitter Account to Update Post-Earthquake Situation

16. No… IndoGroupon isn’t Groupon Indonesia

17. LivingSocial Matches Members Donations for Japan Earthquake Relief

18. Download iPhone Apps and Assist Japan Earthquake Relief

19. Apple Starts Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief in U.S

20. Over 40 Chinese Writers Accuse Baidu of Stealing

Start-up

21. Artyii is a Sales and Social Platform for Asian Artists

22. Taiwan’s EZTable Eyes Expansion in Singapore and Hong Kong

23. Rockto, An Emerging Social Recommendation Site

24. Intel to Invest $45 million in Indian Start-ups this year

Business

25. Zoo Asks Fans to Pick Baby Orangutan’s Name on Facebook

26. China’s Qihoo 360: 300 Million Users, $200 Milllion U.S IPO

27. Alibaba.com Reports $220 Million Profit in 2010

28. Internet Searches for Cricket Products up 130 percent

29. Zynga to Double Indian Staff to 200, Taps Bollywood Talent

30. Ku6 CEO Resigns… Why?

31. E-commerce in India to Hit $10 Billion This Year

32. Politweet, A Twitter-like Book on Politics

People in India from various backgrounds have always had the entrepreneurship zeal in them to plunge into the technology business world. But does that mean India is a certain option for entrepreneurs to dwell into?

To answers the question, we gathered people from different industries to share their views on why is India a good place for tech entrepreneurs.

Vijay Anand // The Startup Centre

Founder and Director of many companies throughout his 13 year stint in the technology market, the Start Up Guy, Vijay Anand, feels that India and Technology goes hand in hand.

He said, “India today represents an opportunity that is hard to ignore. While developed markets are getting saturated and harder to compete in, India and China represent on what’s the unveiling of a significant new marketplace, with its own set of demands in business models and marketplace economics to make it viable.”

On technology and opportunities in the sector, he said, “Technology with its ability to scale, and at the sametime lend its magic to personalize offerings on mass, will be a boon to tap into the potential of this market, and that’s the opportunity that entrepreneurs in India today must and hopefully will leverage on.”

Ashok Lalla // Euro RSCG

Award-winning Digital and Brand Marketing leader, Ashok Lalla, with 18 years of client and agency-side business experience, thinks that India is certainly a good place for tech entrepreneurs. Currently, President – Digital- Euro RSCG, Ashok Lalla feels that “India has got a very high talent pool ranging from the globally acclaimed IIT stream of tech talent to vibrant pool of tech trained youngsters from the numerous private institutes and local colleges.”

He also added that “India is clearly a focused destination of global investors and corporations, including tech-oriented ones that help create a conducive environment for tech entrepreneurs through supporting them in their journey to realize their India ambitions.”

Ankit Bathija // Interaktive  Basement

A 19 year old visual communication expert and interactive marketing practitioner, Ankit Bathija, believes that India is the best place to invest especially in the tech sector.

He said, “I believe India is the best place for tech start-ups due to the relaxed and welcoming business laws & regulations. Easy availability of skilled manpower combined with everything available to an entrepreneur at the best deal possible.”

He added, “Being one of the fastest growing economy and the youngest country in the world, India is amongst the favorites when it comes to technology start-ups.”

Amit Nanda // CellZapp

A web evangelist and co-founder at CellZapp, Amit Nanda feels that tech entrepreneurship is the way to go if you have the right mix of solutions.

“Entrepreneurship is driven by opportunity… And where one finds high growth and a whole spate of problems to tackle, opportunities are abundant, and so too is it in India… Consumers and businesses in India are also willing to try out new products and services (a little bit of the wild west mentality).”

“From a tech entrepreneurs point of view, critical mass in Internet users and a vast mobile subscriber base are huge attractions. Major platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, iPhone, Android are getting adopted rapidly and there is tremendous opportunity to create local solutions around these eco-systems.”

“On the downside, the key challenge is limited access to seed stage capital. Entrepreneurs need to keep this in mind from day one – build a business that will monetize early or via related services that will generate revenue. In India, things can take a lot longer than expected, so planning for the long haul with limited funds and making sure the start-up team has the risk profile to absorb the stress that comes with low burn operations is needed”

Conclusion

Although financial support is dearly lacking in India’s start-up ecosystem, it is only a matter of time that more investors notice its potential. In fact, Accel Partners, an early investor in Facebook, had already taken action with the recent launch of its $400 million fund for Indian entrepreneurs. We can expect more investors to invest their money in India as time passes.

To wrap it up, I personally feel that India is one of the best markets for tech entrepreneurs because of the following reasons:

• It is a emerging market like China
• Skilled and cheap manpower
• Growing economy
• High adaptability and adoption Rate
• Supportive business laws and regulations by the government
• Entrepreneurship zeal amongst Indians

There are opportunities in this country ready to be capitalized on. Do you also feel the same? If yes, let us know why.

Since Twitter is blocked in China, Sina Weibo and two other microblogs owned by Tencent and Sohu are gaining popularity in the country.

However, the recent pro-democratic waves in Middle East have caused China to tighten its Internet censorship in the last two weeks. The Chinese authority is concerned that news of the democratic rallies will spread and influence Chinese through the Internet. In fact, it already has.

After an anonymous user appealed on Feb 19 for democratic rallies in China, Sina Microblog temporarily closed a function that allowed users to repost other users’ comments. Users also experienced periodic downtime to search on Sina Microblog, typically on Egypt related queries. On top of all these, Internet users who attempted to publish the ideas of democratic rallies found their user accounts temporarily locked.

These developments have drawn attention to the risks faced by Internet companies running social networking service in China. Despite the government’s pressure on social networking site in China, Sina went ahead to announce its plan to invest heavily in its microblog this year.

Sina Weibo’s CEO, Charles Chao said that Sina plans to at least double the number of the employees in the Microblog department from the current 600 people to 1,200. Marketing expense is also likely to increase as the Chinese microblog seeks to gain more users this year. Its aggressive user adoption campaign would probably have a negative impact on Sina Group’s overall profitability in the short run.

In the last 4 months, the number of Sina Weibo users has doubled to 100 million. Although this figure is only equivalent to half of Twitter’s global users, it makes Sina Weibo the largest microblog service in China.

Chao said that Sina would only monetize the microblog service after it has gained true dominance in the country. “We may initiate our commercial test in the second half of this year, but this is not our priority,” he said.

Via iResearch

Of all the six countries surveyed, Indonesia recorded the largest growth of 72% from 435,000 to 749,000 unique visitors in 2010. Malaysia, home to the largest total number of online banking users, climbed by 16 percent to 2.7 million visitors. Hong Kong’s online banking audience with a penetration of 35.5 percent to the overall online population grew by 18 percent.

The study also revealed that brands with strong local presence sourced the highest traffic for online banking. Local banks took the lead on the online banking traffic which Maybank Group led the ranking in Malaysia while Vietcombank took the lead in Vietnam. Global banks secured their position in the top 3 followed by the local banking brands. Citigroup secured 2nd position in Philippines and 3^rd position in Singapore and Indonesia. HSBC ranked 1st in Hong Kong with regards to online banking destination as opposed to the other global counterparts.

Speaking about the study, Joe Nguyen, comScore vice president for Southeast Asia said, “People throughout Southeast Asia are increasingly turning to the Internet to conduct routine daily activities, such as banking.”

“As the Internet takes a more central role in how consumers interact with their banks, it will be important to continue to enhance and develop site features and improve the overall customer experience to continue to appeal to current and prospective customers,” he added.

Online banking is rising in Asia, which also means banking transaction is becoming ubiquitous. I’m sure banks are saving a lot of resources by allowing consumers to manage their accounts online. Consumers could also access their account through their iPads and mobile phones (e.g. Standard Chartered).

Mobile and online banking adds another level of convenience for the consumers and also help banks to connect with consumers through multiple touch points. However, as convenience improves, security features have to strengthen as well. Any major loophole in mobile and online banking would greatly reduce consumers’ confidence on banking technology. Let’s hope we never ever have to experience that.

“It has been a privilege for me to work with a company that impacts billions of people across the world with its products and services, and to be part of an industry that has shaped how the world views India [...] The best part of the seven years has been the opportunity to work with some of the brightest people and iconic leaders like Bill Gates,” Venkatesan said.

One of the reasons for Ravi Venkatesan’s exit is Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s plans for a global management shake-up, which aimed at adding senior product executives with an engineering background. This action could be looked at as a bid to catch up with rivals like Google and Apple in various product markets.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Venkatesan said  ”Microsoft is expected to announce my successor very shortly. It’s likely to be from outside Microsoft, somebody probably with a lot of experience and deep understanding and insights about India and the Indian market.”

Catch his interview below to learn more:

In return, Kaiser shared with me a related comment he made via Quora. Kaiser did a more on-the-ground analysis while I did mine based on China’s history, policy and tech trend.

Now, assuming  China is Silicon Valley, which city will it be hosted in? To Kaiser, he felt that Beijing has the best shot to be that key city. It is best to hear from someone who is deep within the Chinese technology scene, published with his permission:

A “Silicon Valley” requires many things. It’s not just great schools and research institutes, not just sources of capital, but also things like law firms and accounting firms. There’s also an important cultural component to it, of course: when so many of your peers–your schoolmates, people in your age cohort or what not–have gone out and founded successful companies, or at least had a hell of a ride trying, it’s just more likely that you’ll feel the better about taking on that kind of risk.

I’m afraid that for now and at least for the next few years, the only city in China where all these things are either in place or are clearly developing and coming together is Beijing. It’s got the strong tech schools (Tsinghua, Peking University, Beijing Polytechnic), a strong PE/VC community (Beijing-based funds, or Sandhill Road VCs with Beijing offices, are still originating like 70% of the deals in China), the placement companies, the law firms that do M&A or know how to structure companies for overseas listings, the major accounting firms (sure, plenty of them in Shanghai too), and the community of second-time or even third-time entrepreneurs. There are more tech returnees in Beijing; Shanghai tends to draw the banker returnee types.

There’s a snowball effect too, where once these things are in place it’s hard for any other geography within the market to catch up. Beijing’s advantages will only be magnified, its existing lead will only lengthen, for at least the near term. Shanghai’s got more (and more successful) gaming companies; Shenzhen’s got some big telecoms network equipment manufacturers and lots of big OEMs/ODMs, but besides Tencent, it can’t really claim any leading Internet companies. Hangzhou’s got Alibaba, Chengdu has some semiconductor action going on, and Dalian has some outsourcing companies doing mainly embedded and mainly for the Japan market, but not much more. High tech parks and nice tax incentives are well and good, but it’s going to be really tough for any other cities to attract real entrepreneurial activity.

Now as to whether Beijing will really become a “Silicon Valley” is another matter entirely. I’m only saying Beijing has the best shot. There’s still a long, long way to go, and lots and lots of impediments, from an outmoded pedagogy to regulatory hurdles that hobble things, to a natural kind of conservatism and risk-aversion (hey, there are lots of easier and more sure-fire ways to make money).

With great tech culture, creativity and energy, it isn’t hard to understand why. That’s coming from first hand experience, or at least from first impression. Having visited the valley recently, I fell in love with it immediately.

My visit was inspiring and thought provoking. Besides leaving me feeling small and insignificant, it also sets me thinking why Asia doesn’t have its own version of Silicon Valley. Are Asians less creative? Are we not creators?

I don’t think so. A look back at history shows that Asians are indeed creative. We invented the paper, arrows and fire rockets. Numbers were first introduced and popularized by the Arabians. To think about it, Asians have actually made quite a number of significant contributions to the world. We might be seen as copycats now but that’s how the world works, isn’t it? You’re either a leader or a follower. And admittedly, we are now the followers.

Despite being the followers, Asia is now a booming economy. You must be living in outer space to not realize it. To create our own silicon valley, the infrastructure, culture and education have to be right. Slowly but surely we’re getting there, especially with China, India and Japan leading the front.

China is growing at break neck speed, thanks to the tech clones. It isn’t the most glamorous way to start a tech culture but still, the copy model seems to work well. In my honest opinion, I believe innovations do give birth through the process of copying. Every tech companies copied aren’t copied blindly. They are localized and built for the market. For example, micro-transaction is first popularized in China and sites like Sina Weibo, China’s micro-blog are highly customized for local needs. In fact, I feel there are things which Twitter could pick up from its Chinese rival.

Talking about creators, Singapore’s tech company Creative was the first to invent the Sound Blaster system in our computers. Young tech start-ups like Koprol and Manga Castle have also provided evidences that the Asia market is catching up. We’re getting there, maybe in the next 5 to 10 years.

To fuel innovation, the Chinese government has introduced a patent development strategy. China aims to have 2 million patent applications by 2015. In contrast, the U.S has about 480,000 patent applications in the last 12 months. It is clear indication. To be a global leader, China understands that she has to create more than just imitate. China needs to innovate and this policy will be her blueprint toward building a Silicon Valley in Asia.

If you wish to ride on the wave, preparation should start now. Asia has a complete different language, culture and consumer behavior. Even though I’m a Chinese, I still have much to learn about the Chinese’s culture. My Taiwanese friends feel the same way too.

To sum it up, through continuous learning, innovating and coupled with a right patent development policy, we could possibly see a Silicon Valley in Asia. China is most likely to be the chosen location. Do you agree?

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Whether its Android or Blackberry, Nokia’s Symbian or Apple’s iOS; the numbers of mobile developers and users are growing rapidly.

The world is witnessing a trend of mobile applications released daily. India, too, is part of this ‘mobile app trend’.

A report by IDC states that smartphone sales in India has recorded a 34.2% quarter-on-quarter growth and a 294.9% year-on-year growth. That makes India one of the hottest drivers in the smartphone market.

The opportunities here are immense. India is huge market with high adoptability rate. The number of smartphones and mobile applications that are being built in India seems endless. A recent report by Informate Mobile Intelligence also states that the number of Indian smartphone users visiting App Stores has increased by 108% in October against a year ago during the same period.

So, which are the more popular India-based apps people are buying on app stores? We have compiled a list as answers:

1. Abilita

Developer: Openxcell Technolabs

Platform: Android

About: Abilita is an Italian word which means ‘Ability’. Abilita is an app for people to share things they’re willing to do for $5. You register and create your “Bingo” which can be contacted by other users if they are interested. This is a good example of social network built within the mobile application world.

My Rating: 4

What’s Missing: Abilita is still in beta version. Improvements are still going on. We hope to see more advancements in the application going forward.

Download Now

2. Cricket t20 Fever

Developer: Indiagames

Platform: iPhone

About: Cricket fanatics in India have a reason to celebrate as they can enjoy a variety of cricketing modes including tournaments like ODIs and T20 matches. Integrated with Facebook, Cricket t20 Fever is one of the best games to play on a smartphone created by programmers in India. The combination of Cricket (most followed sport in India) and Facebook (top social network in India), makes it one of the favorite mobile games amongst users.

My Rating: 4.5

What’s Missing: Interesting formats whereby users can pick real players and play their own fantasy league could be a cherry on the cake.

Download Now

3. Office Yoga

Developer: Webdunia.com

Platform: iPhone, blackberry

About: Relaxation from stress during office hours is helpful. This app provides quick and easy ways to calm down your blood pressure during while at work. Office Yoga is designed for people who spend long hours working in front of a computer. Here you will find simple and relaxing Yoga exercises.

My Rating: 3.5

What’s Missing: Social Integration that allows a user to share his/her stress buster techniques with friends. It promotes interactivity within the Yoga community on the Office Yoga app.

Download Now: Iphone & Blackberry

4. Landmark Finder

Developer: Net Solutions

Platform: iPhone

About: This is a far more enhanced version of Google Maps as it gives you information on attractions, sightseeing places, historical events and much more. It is a guide for any traveler looking for valuable suggestions while exploring a place. Whether you’re walking or driving, Landmark Finder guides you to over 25,000 noteworthy landmarks from your current location.

My Rating: 3.5

What’s Missing: User generated content on different landmarks or places to visit is missing.

Download Now

5. Comics Creator

Developer: Nextwave Multimedia

Platform: Nokia Ovi Store

About: Creativity comes from constraint but it’s the other way around here. This application doesn’t require you to be creatively inclined. All you need is a sense of humor and comics creator will do the rest to crack your friends up. With some interesting tools, you can create funny pictures and share them around

My Rating: 3.5

What’s Missing: A marketplace where users can submit and sell their artwork, could take this application to a whole new level altogether.

Download Now

6. Drona V-Casting

Developer: Deltecs InfoTech, Mumbai

Platform: Blackberry

About: Drona V-Cast is a Blackberry enterprise level app made for professionals to learn and enhance their skill sets while on the go. This application simplifies your training needs and fits well in your busy schedule. You can share and receive highly effective video casting courses via this application.

My Rating: 3

What’s Missing: An integration with Slideshare and Scribd could benefit users. Relevant documents or slides could provide that extra knowledge which isn’t available on the app.

Download Now

The number of mobile apps built in India is increasing on a daily basis. However, nothing as successful as Angry Bird has been built in India so far. With continual learning and a group of enthusiatic developers, I believe this goal can be achieved in the near future.

Last but not least, mobile application isn’t restricted to its mobile operating system. Mobile web applications could also be a powerful tool as brands look to reach more audience though smartphones.

“Although growing rapidly, mobile app development in India is still at its infant stage. Brands don’t realize that a mobile application can help their products reach a broader audience. Mobile apps need not be limited to platforms like Android, iOS or Blackberry. Applications based on mobile java platform and those that run from the cloud can also prove to be viral in the promotion of various products from different brands,” said Debjit Saha, Founder of Digitizor.

‘Winning Strategies in a Global Marketplace’, is an event powered by speakers from various IDA offices across Asia. The event scope focuses on India, China, Middle East and the U.S. It will also talk about opportunities in developing markets like Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

The one-day event is held at Suntec Convention Centre, Level 3, Room 320, Singapore. Anyone who has an interest in Asia and technology is welcomed to join the event. More details below:

At a venture capital firm, Sequoia Capital’s annual retreat, he said that it was because of such an environment in Singapore that has attracted technology giants like Facebook and Groupon to set up offices here.

Facebook is widely popular in Singapore with almost 50 percent of the population using the social network.

Singapore simply loves Facebook and it isn’t hard to pick the country as its sales office in Asia. Groupon entered the market by acquiring Singapore-based group buying site, Beeconomics.

Mr Lee went on to welcome Sequoia Capital’s vision to develop Singapore as one of the innovative and entrepreneurial hub. The government has also put in a lot of effort to promote technology and entrepreneurship within the country. Singapore will also be participating its first SXSW Interactive event this year but the list of participating start-ups isn’t released yet

Asia is a fast rising continent, powered by China, Japan and India. Singapore is also playing her part. Although small in population size, Singapore has given birth to several promising young entrepreneurs and start-ups. Foound is a promising mobile application start-up that has done well at last year DEMO conference while Manga Castle, a recently launched Facebook social game, is attracting 2,700 users each day. Asia looks bright no matter which angle you’re looking at it. As an Asian, I look forward to witness Singapore and Asia’s rise to prominence in the technology and entrepreneurial market.

Image courtesy of Singapore YOG

The solution is rather straightforward: promote innovation within the country by increasing patent counts. It has released its National Patent Development Strategy (English translated version here) and ‘ambitious’ is the only word which I can think of after looking through its goals – The country plans to have 2 million patent applications by 2015.

The 2 million figure includes patents that are “utility-model patents” (e.g. engineering features in a product) and “invention patents”, which are more valued. In the U.S, there are no utility patents and according to the U.S patent office there are about 480,000 patent applications in the 12 months ended in September. In case you have misunderstood, China isn’t just boosting quantity and neglecting quality. Just imagine half of these 2 million are invention patents. I’m sure the U.S will feel the threat.

To increase patent count, China is giving benefits and tax relief to patent creators. Internally, China is working to make its patent application process more efficient. It plans to have 9,000 patent examiners by 2015. The patent service industry is also part of the plan. China aims to improve the capacity of public and commercial patent services to meet the demand of its economic development.

The population will also receive patent-related education to understand the importance of patents. The goal is to create an innovative culture within the Chinese community. On an international level, China will collaborate with other countries to create a good external environment suitable for its patent development.

It’s inevitable that China will rise to dominance. But John Kao, an innovation consultant to governments and corporations told The New York Times that the United States has a comparative advantage because it is the country most open to innovation. He pointed out Silicon Valley as the capital of innovation assembly. It’s true but I wonder if China could one day create its own valley culture that will embrace failure and innovation with an Asian flavor. I can’t think of a reason why not though. Only time will tell. Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

This post will summarize and consolidate what were shared.

We have also grouped these reviews under three categories: (1) Technology, (2) Business and (3) Media.

Technology

#1. Top 10 Technology Trends on Twitter

The top tech spot belonged to ‘Apple iPad‘. The other three most mentioned Apple products were ‘Apple iOS’ (3rd), ‘Apple iPhone‘ (4th) and ‘MacBook Air’ (9th)…

#2. Facebook in 2010

It has been an incredible year for Mark Zuckerbergand Facebook. The Facebook head was recently named as TIME’s Person of the Year and received admiration for his generous donations to good causes…

#3. Facebook Top Trends 2010

Facebook has released its global list of top status trends. The top three were highly social in context, highlightingFacebook as the preferred online destination to hang out with real friends…

#4. How the World Search in 2010

Can you guess what were the most popular search terms people typed into Google’s search engine over the past year? No prizes for that, but they were…

#5. Yahoo 2010 Year in Review

Remember Abby’s Lemonade? 8-year-old Abby Enck runs lemonade stands during the summer and turn it into a charitable franchises that help sick kids…

#6. Facebook Domination Visualized on a World Map

Facebook has grown to become a social network behemoth, which bashes and throws competitors out of their domain countries…

#7. Flipboard is iPad App of the Year

Flipboard, is an iPad magazine powered bysocial media. It has won many praises for its gorgeous information display linked seamlessly with social data…

Business

#8. How Marketers Are Using Social Media in 2010

Marketers are adopting the use of social media at a rapid pace. However, a large majority are relatively new to this – 43% have been using social media for marketing for just a few months…

#9. Most Viral Brands of 2010

Evian’s Roller Babies viral ad snatched the limelight last year and was one the most talked about brand in 2009. This year, FIFA took over the throne, all thanks to Shakira’s Waka Waka music video…

#10. Social Video Advertising in 2010

Interestingly, the number of viral social video ads somehow skyrocketed this year. Some of the more memorable ones are…

#11. The YouTube Ad of the Year is…

The spot beat out other strong contenders including Old Spice’s ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ and ‘O2 Gorillaz’ by VCCP. As part of winning the award, it received the prize..

#12. Mark Zuckerberg is 2010 Person of the Year

For connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them; for creating a new system of exchanging information; and for changing how we all live our lives, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is TIME’s 2010 Person of the Year…

#13. Financial Times Wins: Steve Jobs is the Person of the Year

Who is the Person of the Year 2010? TIME named Mark Zuckerberg while the Financial Times gave the honor to Steve Jobs. We were curious and threw the question to our readers (you). After 5 days and 300 votes, the winner has clearly emerged…

Media

#14. YouTube Top Videos 2010

This year, we all watched more than 700 billion YouTube videos, and uploaded more than 13 million hours of video…

#15. The WikiLeaks Story.. So Far

Julian Assange is another ‘Person of the Year‘ frequently named by our readers. In fact, he is readers’ choice for Time’s magazine Person of the Year 2010…

#16. How Technology is Changing Media

Technology advancements have caused many falls and rises in the media world…

#17. Most Talked About Facebook Story in 2010

First on the list is ‘Facebook Movie: The Social Network’. The buzz started early this year with rumors surrounding the possibility of a film that chronicles the founding stage of Facebook…

To add to your joy, we have compiled a list of technology and business trends to watch in 2011 (hurray).

We don’t think we’re fortune telling. Rather, the list is logically based on what we have learned in the market today. Catch them below and feel free to add in your thoughts via comments. Enjoy.

1. The Internet

The Internet would be the biggest trend, always, at least for the next couple of years. Without this virtual world, practically nothing below would exist. The ‘awesome size of the Internet’ is going to grow bigger. You’re definitely a dinosaur if you aren’t taking advantage of simple Internet tools like Google Docs, Facebook or even the Email.

2. China

We have heard a lot about China this year. Facebook, Google, Groupon, Dell, Lenovo, Acer and many more large corporations are gearing up for an epic China battle over market share in their respective fields. In fact, the PC war in China has already started. Facebook could soon enter China if the Facebook chief recent visit to the country has borne fruits.

With over 400 million Internet users and 700 million mobile subscribers, it isn’t hard to pick China as a must watch in 2011. But it’s a tough market to enter. The three major stumbling blocks would be her law, culture and language. Your best bet to pass through these barriers is to start networking with people who at least generally understand the East and West culture. (Hint: Chinese, Taiwanese, Malaysians and Singaporeans)

3. Location-based

Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook are the top three check-in location based services. The check-in model, which growth is dependent on smartphones adoption rate, has not gained global traction yet. It probably will become more popular in 2011, at least in the US. It was predicted that smartphones would overertake feature phone next year and we can expect strong growth in the check-in services too. As business owners, this is a space to take note. Several businesses are already leveraging Foursquare (here and here), but we will expect more to join the bandwagon.

Tech start-up, Geotoko, an all-in-one location-based marketing platform, is already well positioned to ride this trend. (Check out how to create your own location-based marketing campaign here)

4. Facebook

It just can’t stop growing. With over 500 million users, the social-networking site can be anything it wants to be. We recently wrote that Facebook has been promoting e-commerce within its network, a store that allows users to buy via Facebook directly. Facebook Places and pages are merging as one. This fusion will fuel more need for businesses to own a Facebook page.

With more businesses on Facebook, it also creates more demand for Facebook related services. AppBistro, a Facebook application marketplace, helps both large and small businesses to install applications within a few clicks. It easily turns your business page into a powerful engagement platform to manage fans on Facebook. Other services to ride the Facebook trend include Facebook marketing, games, fans acquisition or anything that embraces Facebook’s social platform.

5. Tablets / eReader

This is how music has evolved: From vinyl records, cassette tapes, compact discs to mp3s. Notice a pattern here? Each new stage allows users to store more music in a smaller device. It’s similar for content: from print, digitized content on the web to a tablet. 2011 will be an exciting year for the tablet and ebooks. Tablet-only content seems like a good bet for 2011. Rupert Murdoch and Richard Branson are currently leading the front.

6. Mobile

Mobile applications and advertising specifically. As more people become smartphone users, we can expect mobile applications and advertising to grow as well. Apple has recently launched its iAd producer. It could be an opportunity for developers to move into, especially when the iPads and iPhones are all expected to sell like hot cakes in the next 5 years. Opportunities can also be found in the application marketplace. Users are always looking for applications to meddle with. Be it entertainment, social networking or something more functional, there will always be a market for them. FlipBoards, Angry Birds, Instragram, Snapfinger and Foound are several mobile applications, which have been pretty impressive this year.

7. Data Monitoring and Visualization

The Internet is filled with data and we need people to track, compile and present them in way that makes sense. Social media monitoring will continue to grow, especially with more technologies joining the bandwagon. Analyzing these data is tough job because of language differences. With China on the rise, it becomes important to be able to track and understand the Chinese language.

Just earlier this month, Dell launched its Social Media Listening Command Center, which is tasked to listen, analyze and disseminate relevant information to various departments. Apparently, data monitoring will be a core component for businesses in 2011.

8. Geek Marketers

More and more ad dollars are invested on the Internet. If you’re in the marketing field, it is advisable to start learning about technologies and how they could work for businesses. The best marketers are those who understand how traditional and new media work and are able to integrate them for best result. I call them geek marketers because they understand both the technology and how marketing and communication work. These are the type of marketers who will be highly sought after.

According to NCH Software, the average business loses more than $350,000 annually due to non-work related browsing. For big corporation with over 1,000 employees, the loss could amount to $35 million per year.

Social networking sites are believed to be the main culprit. We last reported that social media cost the United Kingdom $21 billion a year. And last year, out of the 1,400 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) surveyed, more than half of them stated that their employees were totally prohibited from any online social networking activities. A similar survey conducted this year also reflected about the same result.

Productivity isn’t just the only issue. Confidential information in the company is also at stake. 3 out of 10 employees admit to sending confidential information to outsiders. Such frauds committed are estimated to have cost $110,000 for each business.

But social media isn’t without benefits. We have seen how businesses use social media to their advantage. Zappos, for example, has used social media to communicate its fun corporate culture. The company’s constant engagement with the world through channels like YouTube and Twitter has gained admiration from both potential employees and customers. We all want to buy from someone who is friendly and Zappos managed to create a friendly “atmosphere” even when it doesn’t have a retail storefront. Zappos is successful because it encourages its employees to embrace social media. Its Twitter leader board would be its best evidence.

Check out the three benefits for using social media at work.

Technology advancements have caused many falls and rises in the media world, that is as described by Adweek’s Alan Frutkin, who discusses the media landscape of 2010.

Some of the topics include net neutrality, Comcast-NBC merger and the future of print.

On hardware, Apple’s iPad is the highlight of 2010, which is certainly more talked about compared to Google TV. The iPad seems to be establishing standards for digital content consumption and the distribution of the written words.

Rupert Murdoch’s iPad-only newspaper, ‘TheDaily’ has taken a peek into the future of print. Does that mean that print is dead? According to Frutkin, “It’s not.” Instead, it is changing and has to adapt to what is happening in the market. 2011 would be an exciting year to witness how eReaders would change the way we consume news and content. Catch the video and share with us your thoughts on the media landscape.

The top tech spot belonged to ‘Apple iPad‘. The other three most mentioned Apple products were ‘Apple iOS’ (3rd), ‘Apple iPhone‘ (4th) and ‘MacBook Air’ (9th).

The next technology company that was most mentioned is Google. ‘Google Android’ ranked 3rd and Google Instant managed to squeeze into the tech chart at 10th place.

‘New Twitter’ was also in the list as users embraced and celebrated Twitter’s new design. The video did a marvelous in spearheading the new design rollout. HTC, the Taiwan based smartphone maker, also made into the list at 7th place. Sitting at 8th is Rockmelt, a new social browser which was launched early last month.

Besides technology, other trend lists include People, Hashtags, Sports, World Cup and many more. Check out Twitter’s year in review site for more trends insight. If you have not already done so, you might also want to check out Google’s and Yahoo’s year in review too.

To the team’s astonishment, the project has received over $600,000 in funding with 10 more days to go. That was also the first project on Kickstarter to top $500,000 in funding.

“It just seems to keep on going,” Mr. Wilson said, referring to the number of pledges received since the project idea was posted online two weeks ago. “I had expectations that we would get $15,000 in funding from Kickstarter, but by the second day of sales we had quickly passed that.”

The iPod Nano watch idea has two parts. TikTok as seen above, allows user to securely snap the Nano into the wrist dock. Users can conveniently remove the Nanos as and when they like it.

The LunaTik, a more expensive design, is meant to be more permanent. It is made of aluminum and holds the Nano in place with screws.

This isn’t the first time that an Apple device has been inventively transformed to another product. Apple Peel, a device that embodies the iPod Touches could turn the devices into iPhones.

Image courtesy of Apple and Kickstarter

Today, ‘social’ is the way to go. Facebook is strongly believed to be able to challenge Google on every front – Facebook email vs Gmail, Facebook group vs Google group, Facebook social search vs Google search and Facebook + Microsoft office vs Google docs… the list goes on…

Apparently, Facebook is Google’s most feared rival. The threat intensifies when Facebook has recently asked if users would like to set Facebook.com as their homepage. That simple move would reduce Google’s traffic by millions. It clearly signals Facebook’s intention to take over Google as the world’s most visited site.

In this post, we’ll discuss: (1) Facebook in brief, (2) Google in brief, (3) why social isn’t necessarily the most important element in a product, (4) why search is the key factor in this rivalry, and (5) the existing cold war between Google and Facebook.

Facebook the Great

Facebook is a great product; there is no doubt about it. With over 600 million users, it can be anything it wants to be. Any new feature introduced by Facebook is easily adopted by millions of users (say a mere 10 percent adoption rate would translate to 60 million users). With such high adoption rate, Facebook could quickly overtake Google’s products in terms of users. But that is just what we see on the surface. We also have to note that not every product can be integrated into Facebook. Only “social” products like videos, photos, places and games are in line with Facebook’s long-term vision.

Google the Great

After overtaking Yahoo, Google has been the leading Internet giant for the last 5 years. For the simple reason that it has provided quality products coupled with great user experience. Be it Search, Gmail, Google Docs or YouTube, most of us would have at least owned or used one of its products. All you need is one gmail account and you are all set to enjoy Google’s range of products. There is little social element in its products but they still serve their purpose perfectly. We search (“just google it”), read our RSS feeds and check emails with ease. We love them and they have become part of our life. It proves that not every product needs to be social; delivering the benefit is still of utmost important. After all, social media is just one chapter of the web:

“The digital world is exploding and it has so many chapters — it has cloud computing, it has mobile, it does have social, it has searches, it has so many elements. (…) Yes, absolutely it will be part of our strategy; yes it will be embedded in many of our products. But at the same time remember it’s one chapter of an entire book,” said Google’s chief financial officer Patrick Pichette.

Think Quality, Not Just Social

Google lacks the social element. Barely anyone we know uses Google Buzz (Google’s latest social media site). Google seems set to be taken over by the social phenomenon. Or is it really so? Is social such an important element to success? No, because in every product, quality is still the key and being social doesn’t necessarily equate to success. It could bring you potential users but whether they will adopt and continue to use your product depends on the quality and value it can deliver. That also explains why so many social games and applications failed on Facebook.

With that said, Facebook’s products could beat Google’s if they can integrate quality into social. But far, they have yet to match Google products. The only quality product Facebook has to offer is its social networking platform that connects us with our friends. It is of course a strong platform with high potential to scale or support other quality products. Facebook could one day be the web’s one stop destination to get things done. Besides taking part in social-networking activities, we could check emails, read RSS feeds and even work collaboratively on Facebook.

Search is Key

The idea of doing everything on Facebook isn’t too far-fetched. But to be truly ahead of Google, Facebook needs to venture into the search business, which is Google’s core foundation. It isn’t going to be easy because indexing the entire web is an expensive task. If Facebook were to move toward this direction, its search engine has to be social to provide additional value to win over users. That means, all, if not part of the search results have to be generated from a user’s Facebook network. In fact, Google has already integrated social search results with data provided by Twitter. However social search is never completed without incorporating Facebook’s data in it.

Even with social data, it’s still an uphill battle for Facebook to venture into search. There are three points to explain this. Firstly, social data might not be as relevant and valuable to everyone. This is due to the fact that not everyone is on Facebook or has an extensive network of friends to retrieve valuable data from. Secondly, the search engine business is filled with veteran players. It isn’t just Google. Microsoft’s Bing is also in the game, which is currently nibbling market share away from Google. Facebook wouldn’t have enough experience, expertise and financial backing to run a full-fledged search engine. Thirdly, even if Facebook has cash to back its ambitious plan, it would be considered a really late entrant in the search business. Facebook’s search engine needs to be revolutionary to be able to snatch market share from Google and Bing.

Google and Facebook in Cold War

To put it briefly, Facebook provides you with fun (networking, social games) while Google provides you with utility (search, email, docs ). The real conflict will arise as Facebook grows larger and starts expanding toward the utility area. Google, on the other hand, has failed to expand towards the fun area. Facebook’s 600 million users is impressive but it remains to be seen if it could successfully break out of its fun and cool image and provide products that are more for work purposes. For now, Facebook and Google are dominant players in their own sector but are aware of each’s potential threat. We are, hence, witnessing a cold war between Google and Facebook.

Haresh says the pressure is on marketers to see how we reach out to consumers across different platforms and mediums.

It is part of a technological paradox: while life gets easier and easier for consumers, it gets increasingly more complex for businesses. It also gets tricky as people trust friends and family more than advertising: 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations more than advertisers. In fact, there is the danger of disconnect between the consumer and advertiser today.

Some trends he highlighted was the fact that consumers spend more time on social networks rather than on a company’s webpage. While it is tempting to use social media as the be all and end all, Haresh continually emphasized that social media is just a feature and should not be used solely as the destination. Just because you have a Facebook page, doesn’t mean you are in digital. A strategy has to be used to back it up.

Haresh then described to us the Relationship Engine that Microsoft uses. It has five steps: Insights, Engage, Acquire, Campaign, Advocacy.

Using Windows 7 as an example, they listened to consumers to gather insights. Microsoft initiated the single largest beta product test in the world, where they gathered insights to build the product, through listening to the consumers. Identifying the concerns being raised, Microsoft engaged the neutrals, which formed a big bulk of the target audience. They isolated the appropriate target audience, brought them in and talked to them to understand more about their concerns. Microsoft then acquired more information expanding and drawing the neutrals to their product. With the concerns solved, Microsoft then proceeded to campaign and advocate the product.

From the insights garnered from the target audience, Microsoft decided not to go with print, but just online and radio. In fact, the budget was just 1/3 of Vista’s launch. Even though it was backed with research, it is not that hard to imagine that within the team itself, some people had no faith that the launch would work. As it turned out, Windows 7 was the fastest selling OS in Microsoft history. At some point, Haresh says, you just have to trust your gut and go with it. This is especially so for new technologies: you are not going to get it right the first time around, so might as well jump in with two feet.

In the end, Haresh describes that it is not only a very different tomorrow, but a very different today. It will be all about connections, insights and expressions. The consumer will no longer look for the products; rather products will look for the consumer via behavioral targeting. Additionally, one cannot just rely on rational thinking. It is about combining the rational and emotional minds to find the best way to reach out to the consumer.

However, as we move forward, we must never forget the power of tradition. Using the Dabbawalas example, Haresh highlighted the power of people. Without people, marketers are nothing. There is a need for the new and old to co-exist.

Key takeaways:

Evolution from Marketing to Conversations

• You cannot drive a conversation if you don’t own the data
• Evolution of Conversations in a digital age
• Social Media is a means not the destination

Understanding Revolution

• Technology changing the way we interact
• Profound impact on how we express ourselves

The need to listen, listen, listen

• There is a disconnect between the consumer and advertiser today

It’s true because we often receive first hand breaking news from eyewitnesses of earthquake and disasters in tweet forms. Even events (like Grammy), political struggles or a simple birthday party gets its own hashtag on Twitter. Twitter didn’t plan to be a news network. The users are the ones who have uncovered Twitter’s potential as a platform to spread news to the mass. That said, last year’s #IranElection quickly came up to my mind. Almost all the breaking news was first released via Twitter.

After all, Twitter is always asking us ‘What’s happening?’ Perhaps news could be Twitter’s long-term vision.

The idea could be a similar one to @EarlyBird, which now has over 200,000 followers looking for deals on Twitter. News network would be an additional service for users to receive quality news from a single Twitter handle.

We’re not sure what open means here. It could mean that any news organizations or even blogs would be able to share news through Twitter’s news network. But that wouldn’t add any value to current users since we are free to follow any news organizations. Surely, there will be some form of control and curation. If that’s the case, do news organizations have to pay to be included in the network? Or perhaps open means news are curated by users and would only appear if its resonance score reaches a certain level. Regardless which form it takes, the idea of having a news network on Twitter is an exciting one.

The news network would thrive under Twitter’s ability to quickly transmit news to its network and further probe into ‘What’s happening?’

So, how have educational thought leaders and organizations embraced technology? And what are the implications towards the future of learning? In this article we’ll explore three different ways how different technology is affecting the future of learning.

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1. Search, Don’t Memorize

Let’s start with something that we used everyday – search. Search has become an integral part of education. We often find ourselves saying ‘just google it’ – to the point that we would rather refer to information garnered from a quick Google search rather than flip to that in our textbooks. There isn’t a need to memorize since facts are easily available on the web. Google makes us lazy and being lazy is bad. Or is it? I’m inclined to think Google helps us to be more efficient.

“Kids should learn about history to understand the world and why things are the way they are. But they don’t need to know all the dates. It is enough that they know about the Battle of Hastings, without having to memorize that it was in 1066. They can look that up and position it in history with a click on Google,” said Don Tapscott, author of ‘Wikinomics’ and ‘Growing Up Digital’.

He doesn’t feel that method of learning is anti-education since the information we must all digest is coming in at lightning speed. “Children are going to have to reinvent their knowledge base multiple times,” he continues. “So for them memorizing facts and figures is a waste of time.”

The impact on future of learning: Google is available during work and what we usually painstakingly memorize in school is quickly forgotten after graduation. A traditional exam is often a test of how much information a student can regurgitate. But in practice, that usually isn’t the smartest way to get things done. Schools should redefine how exams are structured to better prepare students for the real working world. Thus, instead of memorizing, we should embrace technology in education. Of course, certain things such as language rules should be remembered. This will be a constant struggle for the education sector, as students become more Google and Internet reliant.

2. Learning Through Epistemic Games

Games are fun and they are usually well received by students. Epistemic games are games created to introduce real-world challenges into public education. Through the games, students are able to experience the problems faced by an urban planner or business owner. The key is to instill innovative thinking to solve problems that usually don’t have standardized answers.

“Creative professionals learn innovative thinking through training that is very different from traditional academic classrooms because innovative thinking means more than just knowing the right answers on a test,” explains The Epistemic Games Group’s website. “It also means having real-world skills, high standards and professional values, and a particular way of thinking about problems and justifying solutions. Epistemic games are about learning these fundamental ways of thinking for the digital age.”

The impact on future of learning: The future of learning is built for the future generation. We have to predict what their needs are to better prepare them for future challenges. One thing for sure, the world gets more competitive as time passes. Education has to evolve to meet these challenges. Introducing real world problems through games not only spice up learning but it is also more relevant to real world application. In the future, we might see Epistemic Games as part of the grading criteria to judge a student’s application skills.

3. Social Media Boosts Classroom Interactivity

Classroom shyness is an apparent problem with little solution. Professors are disappointed with their students but can’t think of ways to tackle the problem. This isn’t the case for Dr. Monica Rankin of the University of Texas at Dallas. She experimentally incorporated Twitter to promote more discussions during class. It was a great success. Students who were usually shy engaged in discussions through tweets. A hash-tag was used to ensure all relevant tweets are connected for easy reading. Catch the video below:

I actually had the chance to attend one of the courses in my university, which used FriendFeed as the discussion platform. FriendFeed allows you to syndicate all your updates from Facebook, Twitter and even Digg. It makes sharing even easier. All you have to do is to tag the relevant updates to share with the class group. It was refreshing experience and it did encourage more discussions in class.

The impact on future of learning: The future generation is made up of tech savvy kids who are naturally more inclined to share their thoughts through social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Incorporating such web technology into the classroom would inspire interactivity. Besides Twitter, Facebook could also be another possible avenue for classroom discussion. It could even be a better choice since Facebook allows threaded conversations and is also the most commonly used social networking site. Or maybe it’s time to have a dedicated social network to facilitate classroom discussions?

Feel free to share with us if you discover any other technologies that might change the future of learning.

[Reference: Mashable, RWW]

My first observation: With so much content on the web, we need organizers to help us congregate and/or analyze these data. That is why companies like Sprout Social, Twezr and KISSmetrics are created to fill the gap. Even search could be redefined, as Blekko, an upcoming search engine, is attempting to make search more customizable with its slashtags. The dollars will come if you are able to make data more searchable, consumable and understandable.

My second observation: The Internet has a strong social layer, dominated by Facebook and Twitter. Everything else is built on top of it, like blogs, email, marketplace, games and eBook. To create a strong digital product, the social element can’t be missed. The debate whether social media could work is long over. As Facebook and Twitter grow larger in user base, the need for social integration is becoming increasingly important. So, embrace it.

My third observation: Asia is a huge market. It may not be ready for investment now but soon it will. If you’re keen to ride on Asia’s robust growth in the future, start now. Start by learning the culture and making new connections. LinkedIn and Penn Olson (yes us, the bloggers) are good places to start with. It will help a lot in the long run.

Enjoy the infographic and let us know if you have any other observations to add.

]]> http://www.techinasia.com/size-of-internet/feed/ 1 http://placehold.it/350x150 http://www.techinasia.com/singapore-ntu-islate-india/ http://www.techinasia.com/singapore-ntu-islate-india/#comments Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:08:12 +0000 Willis Wee http://www.techinasia.com/?p=22612 Read more »]]> Many schools in India don’t have electricity to access electronic learning tools. That’s a problem, which now has a solution.

Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Rice University are developing an electronic tablet that is both battery and solar powered. The device, named iSlate, is estimated to serve 100 million Indian children.

“India’s full economic potential will only be realized with sustainable, low-cost technologies that benefit all segments of the population,” said Krishna Palem, of Rice University.

The first batch of iSlate prototypes was tested in one of the school. Although most students have never used a computer before, the children were quick to pick up the technology. Some kids even reflected that the size of the stylus was too thin but wrote thick on the screen. Instead they recommended having a thicker stylus with thinner writing.

“Developing an electronic notepad that is green, requires very little energy to operate and that could even run on solar energy in future is in line with NTU’s emphasis on sustain ability research,” said NTU President Su Guaning.

“The research will not just help in the sustainability of our planet but the development of such sustainable, low-cost technologies will also help the poorer communities in the world to close the digital divide. It will be life-changing and it will help to improve lives.”

This project is highly commended and as a fellow Singaporean, I’m proud that NTU is leading from the front. Technology isn’t just about the cool gadgets like the iPad or Kindle. It could also make the world a better place.

Image courtesy of The Times of India

According to ComScore, Canada is the world’s top country in terms of online banking penetration. 2 out of every 3 Internet users access banking services through the Internet. Netherlands and France held second and third placing respectively.

This trend is fascinating considering how people were so skeptical about online banking a decade ago. Security is the most prevalent issue people have. It’s probably still a great concern but the banks have proven the reliability of their systems as users slowly got used to it. With the competition among banks so strong, we observe how different banks are quick to adopt technology to improve user experience.

Mobile banking allows users to bring their bank along with them, wherever they go. In-store experience is improved with the adoption of iPads, installed with full banking services. The idea is to have everything digitized, made simple with security uncompromised. Citibank coined this as the “smart-banking” model.

The iPad seems to have made a huge impact on the business community. Its wide display and easy-to-use touchscreen interface made it the perfect platform for businesses to create a new channel to service or engage customers. The banks should understand the pain users have to go through just to make a transaction. The cost of researching, developing and implementing the various technologies can be pretty costly. However, from the consumer’s point of view, such implementations are certainly welcomed. We always want things to be faster, better but secured. The bank that provides these three factors wins.

Perhaps, sometime in the future, we may not even need to queue up at the ATM to withdraw cash. Cash could be digitized and paid through our mobile phones with a simple scan. Just wondering.

The first introduction was back in March. By June, there was an introductory video to give us an idea on how it actually works.

Now, the new TV app demo video looks fantastic. It’s also accompanied by a website that makes Google TV looks really sleek and promising.

We spent a significant amount of time in front of the TV. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Google TV ate into our desktop/laptop time. The idea of browsing the web while watching your favorite drama serial just sounds so attractive. For YouTube addicts, imagine watching videos on your plasma flat screen display at the comfort of you couch. If the price is right, Google TV is an offer that many can’t resist. (Sony’s Google TV rumored to cost around $1500.)

And don’t forget, Google TV has apps, which means games and magazines could hold you on longer in front of the TV.

If Google TV proves to be successful, I’m sure Google’s ads would subtly be around the edges of the TV’s screen. It’s the Google revenue equation at work again. But who would mind if the product is a revolutionary one.

Google, like always, is diversifying to other industries. Today, the New York Times reported that Google is currently testing the possibility that cars can drive themselves. The self-driving car uses “artificial-intelligence software that can sense anything near the car and mimic the decisions made by a driver.”

The tests have been encouraging so far:

“Seven test cars have driven 1,000 miles without human intervention and more than 140,000 miles with only occasional human control. One even drove itself down Lombard Street in San Francisco, one of the steepest and curviest streets in the nation.”

The reason behind this project is straightforward. The technology has a 360-degree view of the situation and doesn’t get distracted or intoxicated. It heightens the overall safety level on the road. If ever introduced to the market, it would certainly be a big hit among alcohol lovers. Maybe, the world wouldn’t even need cab drivers in the future. The possibilities are just incredible.

In a nutshell, surface computing leverages on multi-touch technology with interface displayed on a gigantic screen akin to a coffee table.

The technology is smart enough to detect any items placed on the screen, say a mobile phone or digital camera. Information from these devices is easily displayed and organized with a few swipes.

Now, compared to the iPhone and iPad, Microsoft’s surface computing is certainly far more superior. But it didn’t take off simply because the product and market aren’t ready. It’s cool but the product doesn’t add value to consumers at that stage. Who would spend $10,000 on the device just to view photos and sync information across digital devices? Most of us are contented with our laptops, which have far superior capabilities. The parody video says it best.

Apple, on the other hand, makes technology simple. The multi-touch technology is instead built on the iPhone and eventually the iPad. It’s a success because multi-touch technology with phone functions is simply a lethal equation – consumers simply love it. Apple didn’t stop there; as it went on to establish the world’s largest mobile application store. And the apps are built to leverage on the sleek user experience that touchscreen technology provides. Apple truly turned a smartphone smart. The iPhone has thousands of different capabilities, all reachable within a few taps and swipes (There’s an app for that).

End of the day, technology means nothing to consumers if it doesn’t add value to our daily lives. On a fair note, surface computing was developed for commercial use. But I guess that probably didn’t work out well too.

GigaOM, together with Column Five Media, has built an infographic to share with the web community more about the cloud.

71% of the people surveyed agreed that the future work space is on the cloud, rather than on our desktop.

Logically, such belief, accompanied by the benefits that cloud computing provides, has resulted a growing trend of businesses adopting this technology. This, of course, has led to a growth in the cloud industry, where job opportunities grow simultaneously.

But is the cloud growing fast enough to meet our demands? Only time will tell. But for now, we can say that cloud computing saves us not only time, but also, trees.

But these arguments are often based on experience and personal opinion. In other words, they don’t necessary cater to the mass audience and could even be flawed. At the end of the day, the person that wields the most power in a group often finds his/her idea getting the buy-in. This is especially true when a brainstorm or discussion aren’t carried out properly with democracy in mind.

To tackle such problem, 3M’s Visual Attention Service (VAS) technology uses a special algorithm, to analyze viewers’ reactions in the first 3 to 5 seconds when exposed to an ad. Here’s how 3M describes its simple VAS process.

1. Upload

Upload an image to begin analysis.

2. Prepare

Identify faces and text to improve predictive accuracy.

3. Analyze

Built on 30 years of vision research and validated by extensive eye tracking studies, our algorithm accurately predicts the first 3-5 seconds of visual attention.

4. Results

3M VAS results provide a graphical view into users initial visual attention. Regions show the likelihood of an area catching someone’s eye and why. Heatmaps provide the hotspots in an image.

5. Optimize

Use 3M VAS results to guide changes. Simply revise, upload and re-analyze.

Can the VAS replace human judgment? Obviously no. The algorithm can’t spot grammar mistakes nor it could pinpoint the best images that would provide the maximum ad impact. Copywriters and creative directors could use this tool to analyze and put in place the best possible ad layout. Content and creative direction have to rely on experience still.