Ok, some, not all picks for 2010's Crunchies. (These are picks based on my own experience using these products/companies). If you agree/disagree with me on any of these picks let's battle in the comments below or shoot me a message elsewhere! If you want to help my favorite picks win in the coveted Crunchies, you can place your votes here.

Best Social App

Hands down this has got to be Twitter. No other social application has grown to be a part of our everyday lives. Friends tweet, companies tweet, celebrities tweet, brands tweet, and even dogs tweet. Twitter is easily accessible and widely adopted to be the newest source of information flow that we seem to have graciously accepted. The new Twitter design (from the actual redesign to the roll-out of it to its millions of users) is an example that many startups can take note from (ahem, Facebook).

Best Social Commerce App

Groupon has been a hot topic lately and for good reason -- they are the definition of highly imitated, never duplicated. Andrew Mason reminded me of Dane Cook when I met him but I'm not too sure if that's a good thing. Nonetheless, Groupon has some amazing deals for visitors and is growing like crazy.

Best Mobile Application

Instagram is gaining a lot of momentum and I wouldn't be surprised seeing them win this award. They have a quick and easy to use interface that generates terrific photo effects that everyone enjoys. You can read my Startup Spotlight post on them here.

Best Location Based Service

Foursquare has got to take the cake here. Before their latest major update, I found little incentive to keep using Foursquare. Actually, my only incentive was to be the Mayor of Mr. Pickles Sandwich Shop. Checking in seemed to lose its magic after so long, but now that you can include photos at least it can now rival what Yelp and Facebook had all along.

Best New Device

The Kno is the best NEW device from the choices of this category. The iPhone 4 and iPad aren't really that new. The Boxee Box is cool, but there are many competitors in that saturated market. The Google Chrome Notebook? Really? A beta-only, test only, can't sell on e-Bay product is in the running? (OK, I'm a little bitter I didn't get sent one). The Kinect would be my second choice, but it doesn't have the same industry shaking technology that the Kno comes equipped with.

Best Technology Achievement

I met the Qwiki guys at Disrupt in San Francisco and they are what tech companies are all about: paving the way for the future. Their search engine is definitely futursitic with a great design and easy to use user interface. I'm also biased because they gave me a ton of free t-shirts and stickers. Their technology will be more widely used than the competing companies and I can't wait to check out a touch screen version of their program.

Best Design

Everything about AirBnB's iPhone app to their website is beautiful. They have really made the photos of the places for rent the main attraction on their marketplace. If you haven't tried them yet, try them the next time you travel. I must also note that 1000memories' website is also pretty beautifully designed.

Best Enterprise

Jessica Mah is a young entrepreneur who's kicking ass in Silicon Valley. inDinero is a Mint.com for small businesses that I will definitely be using in the near future.

Angel of the Year

Paul Graham. I'm just a fanboy.

Best New Startup or Product of 2010

I've got to give it to Instagram. Their app is what mobile media and social sharing is all about. Short, simple, and to the point.

Best Overall Startup or Product of 2010

Facebook looks to be overtaking Google as the new goliath on the block. I can't say (neither can the other 500 million users) that I don't heavily rely on Facebook to connect with others.

Again, let me know if you agree/disagree or have any other comments! The voting link is here and I would appreciate it if you could help vote for my picks!

Create. Destroy. Repeat.

These past few days I was able to help TechCrunch (more specifically, TechCrunchTV) with their Disrupt event that was held in San Francisco. Being an avid TechCrunch reader and general enthusiast of tech startups the experience as a whole was a very educational one. Disrupt was my first tech conference and I believe it's one of the tech conferences that I can look forward to happening and hopefully attending.

TechCrunch Disrupt is a tech conference where some of the most influential people in the tech world either take part in a panel, interview, or judging group and discuss and critique the next trends in disruptive technology in the world. It felt like I was working the tech VMAs or something being backstage with all of these tech 'rockstars.'

What is disruptive technology you ask? It's the type of technology that changes the way you live essentially or changes a certain aspect of technology that progresses it forward into the future. An example of disruptive technology is when cell phones eventually replaced home phones. Startups in the Startup Battlefield pitch their products in front of a panel of experts and the winner wins the Disrupt Cup and $50,000 to take home and spend on their ventures.

Amazing Opportunity

Although there was an army of volunteers at Disrupt, I had the privilege of being one of the select few who got to work backstage. I consider myself lucky knowing how to operate video equipment to a certain degree because I got to be in the presence of the likes of investors such as Chris Sacca, CEO's of Digg and Groupon, and the man behind TechCrunch, Michael Arrington (who I overheard was like the Darth Vader of the whole operation.)

These conferences aren't easy to attend at all. Tickets run at least $2,000 dollars up to the $3,000 dollar range for a 3 day pass. Unless you have a press pass or your company is paying you to be there, chances are you won't be able to attend. So, volunteering is your next best bet. Although you need to work most of the time, I had plenty of time to speak to all of the startups in the Startup Alley and Battlefield areas. I had great conversations with different companies from the CEOs, recruiters, and even designers. 

Working Backstage

I had the chance to work with the talented TechCrunch TV team and also with the various TechCrunch writers. All of them were extremely friendly and personable. It was exciting to see how an operation of their magnitude was conducted, and I thought Jon Orlin, Evelyn Rusli, and the rest of the crew made it a great experience. Working backstage wasn't an easy task but as you can see here, I made sure my free labor had some reward in the end:

Why You Should Attend Conferences

Though this was my first conference, it definitely isn't my last. My current boss of my SEO internship has always stressed the fact that conferences is the best way to network. I couldn't agree more as I've expanded my network with a lot of new professionals and other young like-minded individuals who I can hopefully work with in the near future. If you're looking for a job or internship, chances are that this may be your best bet in introducing yourself personally and showing your interest in a personal manner.

That's it for now! Congrats to the Disrupt Cup winner Qwiki (my personal favorites going in) and thank you to everyone who made it possible for me to help and all the TechCrunch staff who made it extremely fun!