LInkedIn

LinkedIn went public last month and watched its shares soar as high as $122.70 before settling down to $94.25 before the end of the trading day. In another possible cause for celebration, the company will be launching a new button that lets job seekers angle for new jobs straight from their LinkedIn profiles, according to GigaOM.

A Web site button may not sound like the most exciting product launch in the world, but a button can take a lot of hassle out of certain tasks. The "Apply with LinkedIn" button, as GigaOM is calling it, apparently removes quite a few steps from the usual job application process and justifies all that time you've spent fiddling with your profile.

According to an unnamed GigaOM source familiar with the upcoming feature, the button will appear next to a job description on an employer's page. The applicant will get an opportunity to tweak his or her profile before sending it along. Employers will get a chance to throw in some extra questions tailored for the position. This could lead to a surplus of ivory watermarked, 32-pound resume paper.

The job application tool will also pop up with a list of LinkedIn contacts that are associated with the potential employer. That gives you a chance to send that old colleague you worked with for a summer at Disneyland a heads-up that you're interested in his company. In a tight job market, every little bit helps.… Read more

We all really hope this isn't our last show ever, but if it is, we can apparently join a bunch of other Facebook hoodlum types and go loot the Apple store. Or, as one caller brilliantly renames them, the Apple Chapel. Also, sad news from China's Foxconn Plant, Comcast continues its parade of breathtakingly evil activities, and nothing's wrong with Georgia on Computer Love. --Molly

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Thursday, May 19.

Twitter beefs up your control over third-party apps Social network will provide more details on what specific account information a third-party app is requesting, while apps that want to access your direct messages will again need permission. More

LinkedIn soars in first day of trading Shares of the business social network have doubled this morning from the IPO price of $45. More

Senators press Apple, Google on location privacy Apple and Google return to Capitol Hill to … Read more

On today's show, Eric Schmidt appears to spout off wildly about fighting anti-piracy laws to the death, but frankly, we kind of agree. Also, LinkedIn's IPO goes bonkers, Apple is close to signing all the necessary music labels to its hoped-for Amazon and Google killer, Kindle e-books outsell all print books on Amazon, and it turns out that Apple love really is a religion. So much so that its devotees literally refuse to believe there could be malware on their Macs. Guys, it's happening. Believe. --Molly

LinkedIn saw its shares skyrocket in its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, ending the day up a staggering 109 percent at $94.25.

The dramatic uptick started early--the company's stock, which opened at $45, had more than doubled just after 7 a.m. PT today to better than $92 per share, and then bounced for a while between $80 and $98. By midday, LinkedIn's shares continued to hit new highs, topping out at $122.70.

"We are focused on creating a valuable service for our members, and on managing the business," … Read more

According to a press release about to post, LinkedIn will price its shares at $45 each in its IPO tomorrow.

The price, at the top of its range, will give the Silicon Valley business-networking company a $4.5 billion valuation.

That's a stunning number for LinkedIn and a sign that the once moribund market for Internet companies is back, with investors clamoring to be part of the Web game again.

It's also stunning since LinkedIn earned just over $15 million on revenue of $243 million last year.

But it does have 100 million business users and seems to be the spear tip of a number of promising Web companies that are expected to be coming to market, including Facebook, Groupon, and Zynga.

LinkedIn is set to begin trading tomorrow on the New York Stock Exchange under the LKND ticker. … Read more

LinkedIn for Android is a free front-end app for the popular professional networking site. While the app certainly doesn't offer as much functionality as the full site, it does offer one-touch access to a few of LinkedIn's most frequently used tools.

The interface is clean and should look familiar to current users of the LinkedIn service. The home screen allows you to view and post status updates, access messages, manage connections and invitations, and of course, search through LinkedIn's huge network of professional users. There's also a nifty Reconnect button that lets you sift through users … Read more

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Things just keep getting worse for the PlayStation Network.

Apple is now the world's most valuable brand.

Wired, GQ, and more mags coming to the iPad.

HP jumps into the 3G data market.

HP line of laptops refreshed.

LinkedIn goes public.

LinkedIn today set more details for its upcoming initial public offering. The company is planning to offer 7.84 million shares at $32 to $35 each.

The professional networking site has more than 94.49 million shares outstanding, according to its latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn's co-founder and chairman, will own 21.7 percent of outstanding shares.

With a price range set, LinkedIn's IPO is nearing a launch.