ReadWriteWeb

Every year ReadWriteWeb selects the top 10 products or developments across a range of categories. The latest installment is the top 10 stories of the culture of technology.

These are the stories that answer that question you sometimes hear from tech skeptics or those who mistake advances in computing and communications for Beanie Babies and Segways. The question is "So what?" Here's what.

In what's become an annual tradition, over December ReadWriteWeb will present our 'best of' posts for 2009. These are a series of articles that will examine the top web products in categories ranging from consumer web apps to RSS and syndication platforms. Today, we're kicking off the series with a look at the top mobile web products of the past year. This is a subjective list of editorially selected products, but one which includes some of the biggest names in mobile web applications for 2009.

Now that the DEMOfall 09 conference has wrapped, we can look back to see which companies have the most potential out of the 70+ exhibitors. Despite what the DEMOgod awards crowned as king, we can't say we agree with the judges' every pick. For example, award winner DateCheck from Intelius, a mobile app that lets you search for dirt on that new guy or gal you're seeing, had one of the best onstage demos of the week. However, they don't deserve to be in a "best of" list because the app is really just a front for Intelius's paid (and sketchy) background checking service. That being said, there were still plenty of companies worthy of notice at this fall's conference.

Which companies did we think made the grade? Read on to find out.