USA Today will have an application for the iPad as soon as Saturday, according to an announcement issued Friday.

" ... the USA TODAY App for iPad will be available tomorrow on the App Store," the release stated. “Access to the App will be free until July 4, 2010 courtesy of our launch partner, Courtyard by Marriott. After the initial launch period the App will be available via a fee-based subscription.”

The entire announcement is below:

MCLEAN, Va., April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- USA TODAY, the nation's top-selling print newspaper, today announced the USA TODAY App for iPad will be available tomorrow on the App Store. Access to the App will be free until July 4, 2010 courtesy of our launch partner, Courtyard by Marriott. After the initial launch period the App will be available via a fee-based subscription.

The USA TODAY App for iPad features the signature look and design that readers have come to trust from USA TODAY providing them with eye catching photos and graphics while delivering the latest award-winning USA TODAY content in a convenient interactive package. Rich media advertising for the USA TODAY App will be powered by Gannett's PointRoll subsidiary.

“We are so pleased to be available for iPad on day one. This is a product we knew we wanted to be a part of from the moment it was announced,” said David L. Hunke, president and publisher of USA TODAY. “We also couldn't be happier to have our partner, Courtyard by Marriott, involved in the first-ever digital extension of our hotel newspaper program. We think our readers will really be thrilled with this premium App.”

“Sponsoring the USA TODAY App for iPad was a perfect fit for Courtyard since our customers, as well as readers of USA TODAY, are very tech-savvy,” said Gini Gladstone, senior director, marketing, Courtyard by Marriott. “We've completely redesigned our lobby to meet the needs of these travelers, including offering free Wi-Fi in the public spaces of our North and Central American hotels. We're thrilled to be a part of the launch of this revolutionary device.”

The USA TODAY App for iPad will be available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore. After July 4, the app will be available via a fee-based subscription.

The app was designed and developed in cooperation with Mercury Intermedia of Brentwood, Tenn. For more information, please visit: www.usatoday.com/ipad.