LinkedIn's new mobile app loosens its tie

LinkedIn, the social network for professionals, has a suit-and-tie type of reputation in the flip-flops-and-hoodies world of the Internet. But the company's new mobile app -- for Android, Apple iOS and mobile Web browsers (sorry businessy BlackBerry users) -- is trying to change that buttoned-up image a bit.
Released Tuesday morning, the LinkedIn app is faster, more visual and more social than its predecessors. It also tries to distance the network -- known for helping business types make connections, swap resumes and get jobs -- from competitors like Facebook and Twitter.
The new LinkedIn "looks less like a clone of the Facebook app," writes Ben Parr at the tech-news blog Mashable, which is a content partner of CNN Tech.
The blog TheNextWeb says the app has a "slick, highly visual interface."
VentureBeat says the app is "so gorgeous, you'll actually want to use it."
This, of course, implies something that's perhaps obvious to tech insiders: No one really wanted to use LinkedIn on the go before. I had to try four passwords before I could remember how to log into my account when I downloaded the app for this story. People tend to check LinkedIn's site every now and then -- unlike Facebook and Twitter, which people update constantly, and from all over the place.
Here are some of the new mobile features on LinkedIn:
• Groups, which let people talk about shared business interests
• "People you may know" feature, to help you find contacts
• New navigation around four simplified topics: Updates, You, Inbox and Groups
• Speed: The new app is 10 times faster, LinkedIn said in a blog post
• And the company released an HTML 5 mobile website
LinkedIn is the third largest online social network, with 120 million users compared to pack leader Facebook, which has 750 million. Twitter has more than 175 million users.
The company's mobile products have seen a 400% increase in traffic since this time last year, LinkedIn says in a blog post Tuesday, without giving the total mobile traffic number, or its mobile user stats.
A video promoting the new app says the mobile version of LinkedIn will give the suits "meeting intelligence."

"You can quickly search for someone's LinkedIn profile before walking into a meeting," the video says. "The profile will show connections you have in common, and a bit about their background, including companies they worked at, schools they attended and recent updates. These kind of insights can break the ice for any first meeting."