Mobile technology brands took top honors in Edelman and Brandtology’s fifth Asia Pacific Digital Brand Index, which tracks the most discussed technology brands online in six markets as well as the most active digital channels and the topics driving the conversations.

Apple, Android and RIM (Research In Motion) were the most talked about brands throughout the region. Combined, they appeared in nearly two million conversations.

“Asian consumers, particularly millennials, are hungry for ways to engage directly with brands,” says Sanjay Nair, Asia Pacific technology practice lead at Edelman. “Given that Asia Pacific now accounts for more than half of the mobile users in the world—a number that is expected to grow steadily—the time is ripe for mobile brands to step up their social media activities, build genuine connections with consumers through hyper local programming, and secure market share.”

Most of the 6.5 million online conversations tracked occurred on China’s Sina Weibo; technology brands were mentioned more than three million times on the platform—more than twice the number of technology brand mentions on Twitter across all six markets. Twitter was the second buzziest channel for technology brands, followed by local forums.

For the first time, the study ranked the most innovative brands. These “innovation idols” were measured by the frequency with which consumers associated brands with the term innovation in online conversations. Sina, which placed third, is one of four Asian brands ranked in the top 10. Samsung placed seventh, Taiwan’s HTC eighth, and China’s QQ ninth. Google was the only technology brand to rank in the top five in the Innovation Idols category in all markets. Microsoft and Samsung were the only brands to rank in the top 10 in all markets.