LinkedIn (NASDAQ:LNKD) has significantly upgraded its LinkedIn Mobile application and added Web-optimized destinations for Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platforms.
LinkedIn went public at $83 a share May 19 and proved its mettle in the short term by posting better-than-expected sales of $121 million earlier this month on the strength of ad revenues and sales of hiring solutions for professional recruiters.
The business social network believes its mobile applications have a big future at a time when most professionals use smartphones to communicate with colleagues or prospective employees and bosses, said Linked Mobile Product Manager Chad Whitney, adding that LinkedIn Mobile page views have grown more than 400 percent year-over-year.
The new mobile app experience, whose search and update stream Whitney said is two to 10 times faster, has been reorganized in areas LinkedIn believes make the most sense for the Website’s 120 million users.
When users fire up the app, they will see top news from LinkedIn Today, as well as network updates. Users may tap the top bar to navigate the application.
The user’s inbox will group messages and invites, and users will be able to access their profile and those of their connections.
One activity LinkedIn seems convinced is a big deal — we know this because the company mentions it for every mobile update of late — is the ability to do “meeting intelligence.”
This is marketing jargon for looking up the profile of someone a LinkedIn Mobile user is about to meet with to get a good idea of whom he or she is dealing with.
Users will also now be able to interact with groups they belong to, or join any of the 1 million LinkedIn groups to fire up new discussions or commenting on existing exchanges.
Finally, users may also access the People You May Know contact recommendation feature. See LinkedIn’s demo video in its blog post here.
As for the new, HMTL5-based LinkedIn Mobile Website, users may access it from their iPhone or Android handsets at touch.linkedin.com.