LinkedIn makes iPad app for mobile professionals

LinkedIn users can now access the professional social network on their iPad with an application launched Thursday.

The free app is available through Apple Inc.'s iTunes store. LinkedIn says the app helps today's increasingly mobile professionals who aren't always tethered to a desktop.

LinkedIn says users often log on to the site through their iPads in the early morning to prepare for meetings and in the evening, on the couch. The iPad app targets these people with a calendar function and other features optimized for the device. Before they had to use iPad's Web browser or use an iPhone app that doesn't take advantage of the iPad's screen size.

The new app lets users view their profile, see updates from their connections or add meetings to their calendar.