LinkedIn app finally comes to Android

If you absolutely positively need to network on the go – and you have an Android phone – now you can.

After releasing specialized apps for Blackberry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile, LinkedIn now has an official presence on Android. The new app lets users connect to contacts and send LinkedIn messages in a unified, easy-to-user interface.

“Now, you can walk into any interview, any customer engagement or client meeting with the ability to look up the details on over 100 million professionals worldwide, in real-time,” said the professional social network’s senior product manager Chad Whitney.

While it doesn’t have the seamless, expansive integration with phone contacts like Facebook and other apps do, it is much easier than trying to find your way through the cumbersome and feature-lacking mobile LinkedIn site.

LinkedIn promises it will continue to update the app with new features, just as it has with the existing apps on other mobile devices.

Anyone who participated in the Android LinkedIn beta will need to download the new app, but should already be familiar with the interface. Not much has changed from the beta to the final version.

The social networking site has been trying to get back in the news, having just filed for an initial public offering (IPO) and introducing a news feature called LinkedIn Today.

The app is available now as a free download from the Android Market.