Status Board brings a touch of Android to iPad

When you pick up your iPad, it’s usually with a purpose in mind. You might want to see how many new emails you have, you need to check RSS feeds, or you want to have a scan through Twitter. Each of these activities requires an individual app, and that means that you need to hunt down the relevant shortcut on the home screen. But Status Board could change all that, by displaying the data you need to see in a handy dashboard that gives you a great overview of your data.

This is a handsome app that almost feels as though it would be more at home on an Android tablet -- it could be adapted into a perfect alternative launcher -- but at the moment is only available for iPad users. There is a slightly retro feel to the app, which enables you to configure a series of customizable panels to display a selection of data.

There are a number of options available here. You may opt to have an overview of your email inbox displayed in one panel, your Twitter feed in another and your most important RSS feeds in yet another. There are also pre-designed panels that can be used to display the weather forecast, the time and your calendar.

Other panels with a greater degree of potential customization let you show off data in tables or graphs, or you can put your HTML skills to the test and design your own panels from scratch. Whatever the type of data you have to work with, Status Board has a way to show it off in an attractive and meaningful way.

While you can leave the app tethered to the screen of your iPad, you can also hook up your tablet to a large screen TV via HDMI or AirPlay if you want to visualize your data on a larger scale -- and don’t mind making an additional in-app purchase to unlock the option.

At a fraction under $10, this might be an app purchase you hesitate before jumping into, but Status Board is unlikely to disappoint. You can buy a copy from the App Store.