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 ]

OtterBox makes killer, high-quality cases that can protect the living daylights out of your cellphone and other electronics from drops, mishandling and other mishaps that we tend to do to our electronics accidentally. OtterBox has just announced their new series of cases for the Palm Pre:

OtterBox announces a new case line, the Tandem™ Series. Engineered with the same attention to detail and consideration for protection as other OtterBox lines, the Tandem Series enhances your smartphone experience with flagship protection for the Palm® Pre™.

“We’ve finally put rubber to the road with the concept of a case for a slider phone and the Palm Pre was just the right place to start,” Curt Richardson said, OtterBox CEO. “The Tandem Series is a completely new design for us and we have spent significant time and effort to offer not only protection, but functionality.”

Price and delivery date TBA.

[ Links: OtterBox, OtterBox Tandem Series, OtterBox Press Release ]

With almost two weeks under its belt and one WebOS update, the new kid on the block Palm Pre has established itself as a competent smartphone with its closest competitor updated from iPhone 3G to iPhone 3GS. But is the Palm Pre really worth the switch from your current phone? Is it really cost effective to switch?

Gadget lust aside, let’s let the people at Billshrink.com help make that decision:

At a glance, it looks like a Pre offers better overall savings on their wireless plans! For a closer look based on individual needs and for a detailed analysis of the feature, check out Billshrink.com.

Pricing Comparison

Palm Pre (Sprint)

• $199: cost of phone with $100 rebate
• $100/month: Sprint Unlimited data + voice
• $69.99/month: 450 voice minutes and unlimited data
• $89.99/month: 900 voice minutes
• $129.99/month: Family plan for 2 Pre phones ($19.99 for additional lines to family plan)
• $169.99: 3000 minutes shared plan
• $189.99: Unlimited family plan ($89.99 for additional lines to unlimited everything family plan)

iPhone (AT&T)

• $199+: cost of phone
• $150/month: AT&T unlimited data + voice
• $112.49/month: 450 voice minutes and unlimited data
• $109.99/month: 900 voice minutes
• $129.99 (for 700min and unlimited everything else) Family plan for 2 iPhones ($39.99 for additional lines to family plan)
• $209.99 3000 minutes shared plan
• $259.99 Unlimited Family plan ($129.99 for additional lines to unlimited everything family plan)

For a deeper level of analysis, people can even upload their current cell phone bills onto the site and BillShrink will analyze and recommend a more cost-effective plan based on their usage (texting, data and multimedia), who you call the most (in/out of network) and will even factor in location to recommend plans with the strongest signals in the area. Read more [ here ]