Talk about timing… I just had a conversation with a couple of college students that were looking for a collection of applications that would benefit them most on their smartphones and I ran across GetJar. Apparently, it’s been around for a while and is the “second largest” (guess who’s first) app store and they specialize in applications for most any smartphone platform, not just one (again, guess who).

Today’s generation of tech savvy students is turning to mobile devices and digital gadgets, like the iPad to communicate with teachers and other students. GetJar—the world’s second largest mobile app store, has pulled together a list of the Top 5 Mobile Apps For Every College Student:

• Social Networking Apps – helps students network and make friends more easily. Whether it is a study group or a new friend from the bookstore, apps allow them to get connected. (SoMo, Social Bookmarks, Friends Connector, etc.)
• Map Apps to navigate campuses – helps new students find their way around campuses and local hubs, etc. (Zhiing, Vicinity, CitySearch, SpotMe!, etc.)
• Safety Apps – helps students stay safe while at school, walking home from late night classes, etc. (TaxiPal, Taxi V1.01, HandyNumbers, etc.)
• Activities Guide – helps students get involved around campus, school campus job postings, etc. (Management Society TSEC, etc.)
• Educational tools –educational apps now offer students language translators, word processors, etc. A financial tools app works well for the first time student learning how to budget. This year, reports show that the average student will spend over $1000 on textbooks, but mobile apps could help them save money. (Finance Calculator, Xeladico, etc.)

Covering Nokia, Blackberry, Android and Palm, it’s quite possible that they have everything that the other large online app store doesn’t have. And if you know the name of the application you’re looking for, you can use their AppIt! feature by typing in in their URL and the app name – http://getjar.com/gowalla (for example) and it will direct you to it without the need to search or fiddle around. Not bad at all.

[ Links: GetJar ]

Leave it to Billshrink.com to come out with a comparison of the total cost of ownership between the wildly popular Apple iPhone 3G and the recently introduced and sold out BlackBerry Storm.

BillShrink launched today a Blackberry Storm vs. iPhone 3G Comparison Site where consumers can view and calculate the real cost of each device and plan, features and related service head to head.

BillShrink helps consumers find the right phone and plan given their personalized usage patterns, e.g., how many texts you send, how many minutes you use, etc. In today’s tight economy, the site is helping consumers save an average of $340 annually on their cell phone bills.

Mind you, Billshrink has already saved me a few dollars a month already – almost $200 a year. Oh, and if you want other comparisons:

Storm vs. iPhone vs. G1
Storm vs. iPhone vs. G1 vs. Instinct

Nice. All of the data in one place to compare it.

Now… if Billshrink.com can find an instant way to avoid having to pay getting out of my contract too, it’ll get my vote for “best.thing.ever” instead of “just” being an incredibly good service that’s given me almost $200 bucks a year for beer my savings.

TripIt combines a mobile client as well as your e-mail to gather your travel plans and conveniently arrange everything in such a manner that every part of your trip just “goes right”.

TripIt is a personal travel assistant that automatically organizes all your travel plans in one place. Travelers can access their itineraries online or via a mobile device and share their trips with friends and colleagues. TripIt is in beta, and has won a lot of attention from entities like TechCrunch, PC Mag and others.

Finally… something that I could have used ages ago! Read more about TripIt at their website and find out more about the people behind TripIt right here.

About a day or so ago, I mentioned FlyCast’s BlackBerry mobile radio software.

Thanks to the nice people at FlyCast – and also because I have only a few Nokia phones as well as Apple iPhone 3G to currently do my testing so feel free to send me some test phones! – I have some new screens of the FlyCast application before their November 1st reveal.

FlyCast is the 1st next-generation mobile broadcast network that is directed at the portable devices that are already in people’s pockets – 3G-capable cell phones, such as the Apple iPhone, BlackBerry Bold and Storm, and numerous others.

View them in full-size: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].