Microsoft announced the U.S. launch today of the MSN for iPad app, available in the iTunes store.

The app offers MSN content in an interactive online magazine format. In addition, there's an offline mode to allow readers to access content even without Internet connection, and a "Lasso" feature that lets users circle a word or phrase with a finger and launch a search for that word or phrase via Bing.

The app, available in the U.S. today, has already been available for users in Canada, Germany, France and the UK.