If you on Facebook/Twitter & follow me, you may have heard about the #SleekGeek challenge on Facebook, originally inspired by Elan Lohmann, where everyone puts R500 into a kitty, and the person who becomes the most “sleek” wins. This is not necessarily just weight, but also a full body measurements from Virgin Active at the start of the comp, and then again at the end.  The challenge officially started on 1 Feb, but I have been living my changed lifestyle since 1 Jan. I have decided to cut out Carbs (all the bad stuff, you still need some good carbs), Dairy & Alcohol. Amazing what a difference these 3 things make in your life.

So, I have a lot of work to do still, and have been putting in double time with both the eating & fitness. I have taken up boxing at the AWESOME new Ringside Boxing Gym in Ballito, as well as keeping up and doing Kettlebells at Flux Motion every day. I try go to Boxing 3-4 times a week, and then Kettlebells every weekday at lunchtime.

I also visited a dietitian at the begining of the year, and they have a really cool machine which measures the fat/muscle breakdown in your body, which really helps with seeing where you are in the quest. Using this method, I have seen that I have already lost 14.1kg’s of FAT, while my lean Muscle has increased by 7.4kg. This is since the 11th Jan.

So, I am going to do something I have never done before. Taken a WHOLE whack of confidence. During my “journey” to become leaner, I have been taking weekly pictures to show my progress. This way, I can keep progress of where I am, and how I am doing. It also helps with seeing my body change, and actually helps with the confidence. So I have decided to share my pictures on Dropbox, grouping them weekly to show where I am. No laughing please :P

Update: I have put together all the pics and will try and update it every week. You can see the week by week progress here

I have also been logging all my workouts using the AWESOME new Wahoo Fitness Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor, that works with the iPhone 4s,  that I bought a while back. I will be doing a FULL review on this gadget soon. This has been an amazing addition to my training, as I can now see where I am, and what my heart rate is. Being the “ultimate SleekGeek”, I have logged all my workouts in to a Google Doc, so I can keep track. You can see the doc here.

So, so far, so good. I am really excited about this, and already I can feel a difference. I am feeling more motivated about the whole thing, and having a whole bunch of other people in the same boat and on the same mission, really makes it a whole bunch easier ! I will also be posting updates here every now and then to keep up with what I started.

Any advice, comments & critisims welcome in the comments below :)

Earlier today Apple announced a new version of their iBooks app (version 2) which now allows you to use and display interactive content in the book, paving the way for text books to be fully interactive in the class. Coupled with this announcement was a new FREE Mac app called iBooks Author which now allows you to create these books & publish them for FREE !!

Imagine the possibilities !!??

Also included in the announcement was a new app specifically designed for iTunesU, the “University” section of iTunes which allows educational institutions to publish course in iTunes and make them available for download. The app now gives you a dedicated interface into that part of the store.

To get an idea of the goodness of these game changing apps, do the following:

• Download or update to the new version of iBooks. The update is more geared towards the iPad though.
• iPad Only – Download the FREE interactive text book called – Life on Earth. Here you will get an idea of what the new capabilites of the app are
• Download the FREE iBooks Author app from the Mac App store. Here you can design and publish your own Textbook. If you that way inclined :)

I can’t wait to see if South African schools will pick up on this.

Rural Areas – iPad  - 3G – Free Text Books – Interactive – Apple TV – Airplay —> BOOM ! :) *Just Imagine*
 

The site has done pretty well this year, with some fantastic exposure I received through various channels. So many new avenues have opened up, and I am really grateful for everything. This site, for me, is still purely a hobby, and even though there have been opportunities to take it full time, I prefer to keep it a hobby & a passion and try and keep people informed & entertained where I can.

The 5 most popular posts this year are pretty interesting, and again, shows me what I need to keep blogging about :

• Get a US iTunes Account - Probably my most searched term as well
• Invalid iTunes address – Apple changed the goal posts and I put up a little workaround
• iPhone 4 Prices in South Africa – a 2010 post which still makes the top of the list !
• iPhone 4S in South Africa – Shows how popular and wanted this phone really is
• How to update your iPhone or iPad firmware manually – A quick & easy tutorial for those annoying iTunes download timeouts

So, I decided to put together a quick roundup of the year (same as I did in 2010)

January
At the beginning of the year, I decided to set myself a couple of goals, called #Project2011 and with that I got sponsored a bike from the guys at Cannondale. The bike is amazing, and although I haven’t used it (properly) in a couple of months, I am hoping that in 2012 things are a’changing and I’ll be back in the Saddle. The actual project itself wasn’t a fail, and even though I slacked a bit over the last couple of months, I still managed to lose a couple of KG’s and feeling a lot better. So here’s to next year. 2012 -> Big Plans for my body !

The good guys at Apple also launched the Mac App Store, which has proven to be a great success ! Locally, we got to see the launch of the iPad 1 in South Africa on the 27th of Jan, which although not as successful as the iPad 2, it still made waves around the country.

February saw me do my first ever mini Triathlon, called the Mudman. A HUGE personal achievement for me. I also started doing Kettlebells with the team from Flux Motion, which I can honestly say, has changed my life. This is by far the MOST complete workout you can give your body, and showed the results throughout the year. If you haven’t tried it, you HAVE to. I also got to attend the U2 concert in Jozi, compliments of Highveld Stereo. AMAZING !

One of the lowlights of my year, was being asked to remove a post that I did on Smokoo from my blog. At the time, I didn’t have much of a choice, but to remove it. In hindsight, I could have left it up, but, well, all over now :)

In March myself and a friend started a little side business doing iPhone Repairs. FiXi is still booming, and we getting loads of requests to fix iPhones & iPad’s on a daily basis. 2012 holds some exciting opportunities for FiXi, so hold thumbs. I also got an amazing opportunity to learn how to trade some stocks on the stock exchange, thanks to the guys at Global Trader. Really great platform if you looking at learning all about that

April saw my site getting a little infected by the Pharma Hack, which saw my traffic plummet, but I managed to fix that. We also got to see the awesome iPad2 launch in South Africa. By far one of my favorite “gadgets” for the year.

May saw the introduction of the iPhoneography Showcase series on my site, which lead to amazing things later in the year. iPhoneography is growing at a rapid rate, and I am excited to see how it pans out in 2012. I also teamed up with the guys from Flux & Apple Tree Live for the next step in #Project2011, which saw some amazing results both physically & mentally !

June saw Apple announce a whole whack of exciting new things at WWDC this year, with the launch of iOS5, Lion OS X & iCloud, our lives have changed quite a bit with everything now in sync in the cloud. Going to be very interesting to see where this goes !

On a personal front, a HUGE change took place for me when I was offered the position of Mobile Product Manager at the Durban based company Private Property. For me, this was like a dream come true, and I could follow my passion of what I loved doing. And 6 months down the line, I can honestly say, I don’t regret 1 second of my decision. An amazing company. Seriously !!

And to top it all off, I also launched the first ever South African iPhoneography exhibition. More on that in Sept’s round up :)

July saw, THE most innovative South African company of 2011, FNB,  launch their iPhone/Android/Blackberry app. This app proved to be a pinnacle of app’s in South Africa, and has really gone from strength to strength.

August saw the launch of our new version of the Private Property iPhone app. A nice facelift from the previous version, and some really cool things to come in 2012. Stay Tuned !!

September saw the first ever South African iPhoneography exhibition, in partnership with Core, take place at the iStore in Sandton. This was probably my biggest personal achievement of 2011, and was an amazing success. I really hope to try and do another one in 2012, and given the amount of interest already shown, this is looking VERY likely.

On the South African tech front, we say Alan Knott Craig from World of Avatar buy out MXit. An interesting move, and I for one, will be watching how this pans out. Every single time I have sat down at a table with anyone who is in the social/mobile/web/tech space in South Africa, this topic has been brought up. Interesting indeed

I also managed to get my hands on what is probably my gadget of the year. The Olloclip. Really. If you have an iPhone, and take photos with it. Just get an Olloclip. An amazing accessory.

October saw the worldwide launch of the iPhone 4S, which recently hit our shores. We also saw FNB launching a campaign bringing high end smartphone & tablet devices, like the iPad 2 at discounted rates, as well as an opportunity to buy them over a 24 month period. This has changed the tablet landscape in South Africa, and we now seeing more & more of these devices around. Awesome

I also got to speak at my first ever public speaking gig. I was as nervous as all hell, but it was an amazing experience. I really really enjoyed it, and hopefully 2012 will see another 1 or 2 public speaking gigs. I also managed to attend to great conferences, Tech-Ed in Durbs & Tech4Africa in Joburg. Both really enlightening conferences, and I walked away with some insight into where we going in South African Tech

One of my most commented posts of the year was my Blackberry vs. iPhone post, where I summed up a couple of the misconceptions people have about these 2 devices, specifically in South Africa. Some great debate around this !

November saw me attending the Gary Player Invitational at Zimabli, compliments of Johnnie Walker. A fantastic weekend all around, and met some great people. I also launched the South African Mobile Apps Directory, which has shown some interesting insight into Mobile Apps in our country, and what is being developed where. I am constantly updating this list, so keep checking back.

All in all 2011 has been an amazing year for me. I am really happy with where I am going with this, and honestly can’t wait to share my 2012 experiences with you. I wish you a blessed festive season, and want to thank every single person that has taken the time to visit my site, and be a part of it. I really appreciate the support !

Catch you on the flipside :)

Getting a US iTunes account is fairly quick & simple, and you need to follow a couple of easy steps to sign up for one. I have posted this before, specifically on how to get apps from the US iTunes store, but you can also use the account for music as well.

You can download the step-by-step guide by simply tweeting about the guide, with a “pay-with-a-tweet” option

Or, you can simply download the file directly from -> http://iguy.me/u4XhE1

Once you have your account, you will need to top it up using vouchers. I have used a couple of providers in South Africa, and I can say, all of these below are great, and they all deliver the codes instantly

• iEverything – Instant EFT, Credit Cards, Moneybookers
• WildTwig – PayPal

If you have any issues signing up for the US iTunes account, you can leave a comment below, and I will try and help where I can.

So, if you did not know, if you have a Vodacom contact that is older than 13 months & you spend over an average of R800 a month, you qualify for what is known as a premature upgrade. And, because my contract is due for an upgrade in Feb, I managed to get one.

First impressions about the phone:

• The battery life seems to be a bit better. This could be, cause I started out as a new phone, and didn’t restore my old backup. This was also because I had a whole whack of apps on my old phone, which I didn’t use, so it was good to start fresh again.
• The phone is definitely faster. I see it in most of the apps, and you can see it in the actual usage of the phone. Much better.
• Siri is cool. I like it. It struggles a bit with the South African accent, but the cool thing with Siri is that it keeps learning your voice. So the more you use it, the better it gets.
• Wireless Mirroring Airplay with the Apple TV is actually pretty cool. I managed to play Real Racing 2 on the TV, and works like a charm. I have been using this on the iPad 2 for a while, and they both work awesome. Another reason to get an Apple TV.
• Generally it seems a bit better than the iPhone 4. If you in the market for an upgrade get it. If you have an iPhone 4, leave it, until you can get one :)

A HUGE thanks to the guys at the Vodashop at Bridge City in Durbs. I have been using these guys for a while now, and seriously, they offer THE best service. Julias and his team are top notch !!!

So, did you get an iPhone 4S ? What you think ? I’m pretty stoked, even after not expecting it.

Well the video, which is the core of the campaign, went HUGE massive over the weekend, with even Time Magazine picking up on it. The video has already had close on a total of 600,000 combined views, and featured on a whole lot of news sites.
If you haven’t seen the video yet, check it out here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1EX–vdxh4)

The video has also received great press from a couple of international publications:

It all forms part of the latest Nando’s festive campaign, called Meal for 6,  where they asking, who would invite for your Meal for 6 ? From today till the 2nd of December, you can win daily prizes as well as a fully catered meal for you and 5 friends, with a personal chef.

All you need to do is tweet the names of 5 people, living or dead, who you would want to have dinner with and include the hashtag #Mealfor6. These people don’t have to be on twitter, you can include anyone, just remember to include the hashtag.

Also check out the video for the campaign which will be aired on TV over the next couple of weeks on the official website -> www.mealfor6.co.za. Brilliant !!

The DODOcase exterior gives your iPad the look and feel of a hard-bound book. Not only does this provide superior protection, it disguises your iPad to look like an ordinary book, preventing theft. The DODOcase cradles your device in a strong, yet gentle, bamboo tray. The multifunctional design also allows you to use the case as a stand for typing or watching videos.

I have had mine for a couple of days now and I am really impressed. The quality is far superior to any case I have ever had, as well as it makes for easy handling when using the iPad as a book. The fact that it look awesome, with a moleskin type feel, and you can choose from 9 different interior colours.

The WildTwig guys are selling them for $72.95 from their site, which works out to around R600. This comes in at around what some of the other iPad cases I priced. The Apple Smart Cover goes for between R499 & R799.

The list is by no means complete, and there may well be lots of apps missing. The idea of the list is to be as “open source” as possible, with the community contributing. If you see a missing app, please add it. There aren’t any specific rules & regulations for the submissions of apps, except that the app should be developed in South Africa & should be geared for South Africans. If you have developed an international app, that would also be awesome to see.

The list has grown quite a bit since I started collecting information last week, and has some interesting stats. Firstly iOS seems to be the most developed for platform in South Africa, with around 80 apps that I have come across personally. Android has 17, and BlackBerry & WP7 minimal. Nokia has a quite a few from Simon Botes & the guys at AppCraft.
What I also noticed is that the majority of apps in South Africa are free from the stores. This again proves that the “app culture” in South Africa is still in it’s infancy, and we have a long & exciting road ahead of us.

So, to see the list of apps I have already collected, head on over to the Google Doc I have put together. Eventually, I will try and put this into some sort of a directory site. One day. You can see the doc here -> http://iguy.me/SAApps

If you see an app that is missing from the list, please please add it, using this Google Docs Form -> http://iguy.me/SAAppsSubmit

You can also mail me details of your apps if you wish, and I will add it. Also, please feel free to add a comment below if you want with the details.

Looking forward to the list growing in South Africa, and doing a follow up post soon with some more interesting stats.

My good friend from iPhoneZA.co.za put together a neat little web app called IconSettings which allows you to create icons and add them to your home screen and access specific portions.

After being inspired and loving what he had done, I started playing around with HTML5 and some javascript stuff (non dev dude here), and came up with a nifty little tool (I think so anyways) called Qprefs.info

Basically you can access all of these hidden links on 1 page. So for example, you can turn wifi on or off using this page, or even get access to the brightness screen. Turn Location services On/Off, check for software updates. Loads more, there are around 35 different functions on the screen.

To access this, you need to visit http://Qprefs.info on your iPhone/iPad/iPad touch. Or simply just snap the QR Code below, and you will be redirected to the page.

Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below :)