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The mobile ecosystem is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of transformation. As business models adapt, new verticals and players emerge. Technology evolves, perceptions shift, and lives are improved.

The Mobile World Congress, which will take place from Feb. 14-17 in Barcelona, is doubtless the most important of its kind, and every year, for a couple of days, the city of Barcelona pauses its romantic and alternative style and becomes the centre of the mobile technology world. In this atmosphere, a parallel event like the Mobile Premier Awards means a great opportunity for developers to show their apps.

With an estimated 50,000 mobile professionals from over 200 countries attending the MWC, the congress aims to promote mobile technologies. Now in its fifth year, the MWC will focus on the early stage aspects of mobile development and showcase the most innovative apps from around the world bringing the developers and entrepreneurs to the spotlight.

There's an old saying that "any press is good press," which for a company means it is ultimately beneficial to be mentioned in the media regardless of whether said mention is positive or negative. But there's also a time when good press, while positive in nature, is not necessarily meaningful to the company overall. Don Rainey, investor at Grotech Ventures and author of the blog VC in DC, recently wrote about "5 Pieces of good news you should ignore," referring to positive things that he believes are really meaningless when it comes to the success of your company.

For the overworked, underpaid masses of highly competitive journalists, there is no salve for the battered ego that can match the healing power of the official, professional accolade. At San Francisco's Online Journalism Awards tonight, a select few received their hero's laurels.

Although the "literature on a deadline" aesthetic of journalism is not hard-wired for nostalgia and hasn't often the leisure for back-patting, several individuals, stories, and websites stand out for their achievements in the field and their contributions to our collective knowledge and engagement this year. Read on for the list of honorees and our assessment of their contributions.

The music industry and the Web industry have always had a contentious relationship. But it's hard to resist the drama of awards. This Sunday, the music world will be focused on the 51st annual Grammy Awards, the annual recognition of artistic achievement in music. And the Web is sure to be chock full of opinions and criticism about the final choices. We've worked to grab some resources to help you get the most out of the event, no matter what your musical tastes.

With today's technology startups, sometimes a little funding can go a long way. Today, 25 Facebook applications received word that they've got more runway ahead of them.

At a time when many companies are struggling to find funding for their ideas, these Facebook app developers have found themselves with $25,000 more to spend on development. It's all thanks to the Facebook fbFund, a grant program designed to "identify talent and seed innovation on the Facebook Platform."