LIVE FROM 'ALL THINGS DIGITAL ASIA 2011'

Today’s programme surprised me a bit.

Given it was the third and final day of what has been a geek/network/tweet/eat-til-you-drop affair, it was no easy feat to pull myself out of bed for today’s 7am kick-off time (working in the creative industry, I rarely see that side of 8am to begin with).  All anyone had been talking about was the anticipation around Al Gore’s talk, particularly after he made a guest appearance at a Juniper Networks party last night.

Don’t get me wrong, Gore’s talk was great. He passionately discussed all expected topics: Jobs, Apple, Google, climate change, the state of the US economy and political scene.  He also hilariously responded to a question from a Google China attendee who asked “What do you have to say about Google in China?” with a smirk and a “God bless you.”  No further comments on that, of course.

I also found John Roese of Huawei to be rather interesting (full disclosure, Huawei is a TBWA client, although I am not directly exposed to the account).  He spoke self-reflexively about the company that was once “the biggest company [he'd] never heard of” – the innovation it fosters, what it’s like being an American technologist working for a huge mainland Chinese tech company.  He even quipped, “our idea of an emerging economy is the United States.” Oh snap.

However, the speaker who surprised me the most was Peter Chernin, Founder of the Chernin Group and Chernin Entertainment and the former CEO of News Corp.  He is basically an online media visionary bad-ass.  The guy has been an investor or directly involved in Hulu, Flipboard, Tumblr and Pandora, many a TV show and even the recent “Planet of the Apes” and really knows his stuff.  There were numerous little nuggets of gold in his interview that, as a digital media enthusiast, I found rather interesting:

• India’s going to be THE digital market to watch, not only as it moves into the digital cable market, which Chernin says will be huge, but because its has some of the most unique content consumption behaviours and infrastructure.  Citing soon to be released US$30 tablets, 350 million teens and mothers who control the household’s entertainment choices, the country’s content delivery system will grow to be totally different from everywhere else.
• With regards to content and piracy, ever-pertinent to the media/entertainment space, Chernin commented that here is not a single movie or a single TV episode that is not available on a pirated site. He also made the point that instead of making content unavailable, which would be a “huge disaster,” studios and networks should be trying to get content to their audiences before the pirates do to cut back on losses.
• When it comes to the quality of future online video entertainment, consumers will not be interested in cheaper, “they will be interested in better.”  They will also be willing to pay for videos if they are “genuine, premium content.”
• The future of the online media space? “No one can predict technology, but I can tell you this with certainty: consumers will have more choice and more control.”

And on that note,  Enswers, Inc., rocked the second demo session when they debuted a multi-media search technology called ‘Image2Play,’ which is being launched in Korea next week (and around the world at a TBD date).  The technology, which connects online images to the videos they came from, will be giving consumers more access and control in their online experience.  Drake Martinet from AllThingsD.com summed it up perfectly: “Image2Play does for video snapshots on the Web what music recognition app Shazam does for music in the real world.”

Although AsiaD ends today, I’ll be checking out more demos tomorrow from local Hong Kong start-ups at Start Ups Saturday HK 2011.  No rest for the wicked!

For more on the talks, speakers, and image2play demo, visit AllThingsD.

For more on disruption in digital, visit TBWA\TEQUILA Hong Kong, or catch us on Twitter; @jliip (me) or @TBWATEQUILA_HK (the team).

On day 2 of AsiaD, whether the speakers were showcasing it,  leading or using it as a shield against Walt Mossberg’s probing questions, “innovation” was certainly the buzzword of the day.

Today’s line-up included a mix of top digital talents such as Yahoo Founder Jerry Yang, Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Jack Ma, President of Windows Phone Division Andy Lees, Founder of HTC Cher Wang, Twitter and Square founder Jack Dorsey, and VP of Product Management at Google+ Bradley Horowitz.

Ma, Horowitz and Dorsey were undoubtedly the fan favourites of the day…

But back to innovation.

I think the best way to sum up the conversations that took place today is based on the great amount of audience commentary, which took place largely on the Twitter waves (appropriately so, given that the father of Twitter himself was sat on stage in the famous red D chair).  Here’s a summary to bring you up to speed:

• Jerry Yang of Yahoo when pressed on whether China will surprise the US with its own innovations: Innovation [in China] will come, but it will be a slow process.
• Jack Ma on innovation in his business: The focus must be on giving consumers what they want. (He was, by the way, the most candid, confident and inspiring speaker of the day, according to many members of the audience.)
• There was a kick-ass demo from Lytro Inc., a camera company that will be changing the way we share and edit photos online.  Elicited numerous ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the audience.
• Cher Wang of HTC on how the company innovates to differentiate itself from competitors: Its stylus. And that’s pretty much the only straight answer she gave.
• Won-Pyo Hong of Samsung on the reasons behind its innovation of the Galaxy Nexus: Not a move to step away from the Apple patents issue. Hmm…
• Bradley Horowitz on innovation in the Google workplace: Our people are encouraged to express their opinions and second-guess management.  Even for the guy who sent ‘that’ memo…

Tomorrow, Al Gore is up on stage, although he made his first appearance tonight at a Juniper Networks private cocktail.  Definitely looking forward to that one.

For more info on AsiaD, the highlights, the speakers, and the behind-the-scenes action, click here.

For more on my stomping grounds: TBWA\ TEQUILA\.  For live updates on the ground from AsiaD, check out our Twitter feed, @TBWATEQUILA_HK.

Between this morning’s launch of Galaxy Nexus by Samsung and Google at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the kick off of the inaugural AsiaD conference from All Things D, 19 October marks a pretty big day in Hong Kong’s digital history.

A number of local tech personalities mused at how, for the first time, US tech enthusiasts had to stay up late into the night to hear the latest updates from the digital world, which had suddenly shifted from the US Pacific Coast time zone to Hong Kong time.

To claim  that this marks a shift from West to East may be bold.

Or is it?

AsiaD’s line-up reflects a never seen before mix of Asian and Western top tech talent, with everyone from Creator of Twitter Jack Dorsey to Co-Founder of Yahoo Jerry Yang, former US Vice President Al Gore to CEO of Alibaba Group Jack Ma. Echoing similar sentiments, Andy Rubin, SVP of Mobile at Google and AsiaD’s first interviewee,  commented that the Galaxy Nexus of Samsung and Google represents a partnership which leverages the best of both Asian and Western skills.

A bold nod to the rising importance of Asia in the tech space? Maybe.  A huge first for Hong Kong? Definitely.

Over the next two days, AsiaD will continue to press these global tech leaders to determine a glimpse of the role Asia will play in the future global digital scene.  If today’s interview by Walt Mossberg with Andy Rubin is anything to go by, AsiaD will be getting to the bottom of it (or as close as they can).

Photo Credit: Asa Mathat, AllThingsD.com

By the way, hi, I’m Jocelyn, and I’m a Digital Specialist from TBWA\ TEQUILA\.  For live updates on the ground from AsiaD, check out our Twitter feed, @TBWATEQUILA_HK.