It turns out the rumors were true: LinkedIn announced today that it has acquired the company behind the mobile news reader app Pulse. The latter service, which boasts 30 million users of its own, could provide LinkedIn another tool in its arsenal as it strives to transition from simply being a social-enabled site for resumes and business connections into a full-fledged information destination unto itself. In a blog post announcing the news, LinkedIn senior vice president Deep Nishar writes that "We believe LinkedIn can be the definitive professional publishing platform — where all professionals come to consume content and where publishers come to share their content."

The acquisition didn't come cheap. AllThingsD is reporting that LinkedIn paid $90 million for the company — at the high end of the $50 million to $100 million range reported earlier this year. As for the future of the standalone Pulse app itself, a blog post by the Pulse team reassures users that development will continue — though that news is caveated as being the case "for now."