RTÉ has launched a free-to-download RTÉ News Now app for the iPad.

The app offers latest national and international headlines, top stories, live news bulletins and on-demand video clips and content, covering news, sport, business and entertainment world. Optimised for the iPad, RTÉ said the app allows very easy navigation, with each page individually designed on a dual viewing mode so that users can enjoy the content in portrait or landscape orientation.

Clicking on video icons alongside text stories will display the full video on screen and assure users of an in-depth coverage of all their favourite stories. Podcasts of recent radio news shows can also be accessed while further social media features means that stories can be shared via email, Facebook and Twitter.

"Building on the success of the RTÉ News Now app for iPhone and Android, the release of our News Now app for iPad continues to meet the needs of our audience for delivering up-to-the-minute, dynamic RTÉ content across a widening range of platforms," said Múirne Laffan, executive director of RTÉ Publishing.

The launch of iPad app coincides with the announcement that the original News Now iPhone app is now available for free globally. The new app, which is available to download from the iTunes store, was developed by mobile internet services company Digital Reach Group (DRG), which also developed RTÉ's News Now app for the iPhone.

The iPhone app has already been downloaded more than 200,000 times.