It’s been already a month since the translated ebooks have been published, but it’s never too late to write about such an event.

Facts first: starting with Dcember 14th, 2011, two of my ebooks, 100 Ways To Live A Better Life and 100 Ways To Screw Up Your Life are translated and published on the Korean market under a separate publishing agreement. If you can read Korean you can buy the ebooks by clicking on the following links:

100 Ways To Live A Better Life (Korean version)

100 Ways To Screw Up Your Life (Korean version)

According to the first sales reports, the ebooks are selling strong, with around 420 copies in the first three weeks, which, to be honest, is quite a lot.

Now, a little bit about how it feels

As you may already know, I am self-published author with 6 titles on Amazon, Kindle and iBookStore. Apart from the normal satisfaction you get form seeing your work packaged and ready to be read by thousands of people, being a self-published author is a very demanding activity. You gotta be in charge of pretty much every little part of the process, from the actual content you create, formatting it, submitting to online stores like Amazon and iBookStore (which is not as easy as it looks, not even remotely), up to the marketing area, where you have to be in charge of promotions, price levels and advertising. Believe me, it’s a lot of work.

But, at some point, if you do it right, and if the content is appealing, and if the stars are well aligned (you may think I’m kidding, but I’m not ) you will land a publishing agreement. And once you get that, things are changing big time. I’m not gonna hide from anybody the feeling of fulfillment I get when I watch the cover of my ebooks translated into Korean. It’s exhilarating.

But perhaps the best part of it it’s getting in touch with other people, getting to know new lifestyles and engaging in new and challenging interactions. I may write a bit about the whole story behind this publishing agreement, but I don’t think I’ll do it quite right now.

I think I’ll enjoy the feeling for a while.

One of the things I am using Mirabilis Media NZ for, is to self-publish some of my books. As you may already know, a year ago I published my first books using CreateSpace.com, hence making the books available through Amazon. During the last few months, I decided to reach to other media channels. So, I converted some of the books for Kindle and some of the books for iBookStore (that would be the Apple attempt to create a digital library).

Here’s how my books portfolio is looking right now:

100 Ways To Live A Better Life

CreateSpace | Amazon | Kindle | iBookStore

100 Ways To Screw Up Your Life

CreateSpace | Amazon | Kindle | iBookStore

The Productivity Trap

CreateSpace | Amazon | Kindle | iBookStore

The 7 Ages Of An Online Business

CreateSpace | Amazon | Kindle | iBookStore

Natural Productivity – Assess, Decide, Do (not yet available on print)

Web | Kindle | iBookStore

If you want to know more about how to self-publish your books using Amazon, Kindle and iBookStore, I wrote and extensive post about it on my personal blog: How To Self-Publish On Amazon, Kindle And iBookStore. Enjoy.

In the latest version, the iPad app was mimicking a lot the iPhone user interface algorithm. There were far too many navigation actions, some of them totally unnecessary. So, we moved to a SplitView paradigm, keeping at all times two panes, a master view and a detail view. This new approach works especially well when you’re in the landscape orientation.

iPad redesign apart, this new version also addresses a few important user interface quirks on the iPhone version too, as well as numerous bugs. Here are a few screenshots of both the iPad and the iPhone/iPod Touch versions.

If you want to read the full story about what’s new in the 1.3 version, you can go to the AppStore and check it out.

And for those of you who doesn’t know, iAdd is a universal app, meaning you will only buy it once, but it will work on your iPhone/iPod Touch AND your iPad, without any modifications. And of course, on the iPad you get a brand new user interface version. Did I tell you that already?

And it’s only 3.99. Grab it while it’s hot on the AppStore.

Oh, and one more thing, the book Natural Productivity: Assess, Decide, Do, the one that started all, so to speak, is not available on Kindle for only 9.99 USD. That’s more than 60% off of the price list on my website, so I am having a really hard time figuring out what’s keeping you for rushing to get it ASAP. Yes, it’s on Kindle, which means you can read it via native Kindle apps on virtually any device in the world, Mac, iOS device, Android, you name it.

Click here to get Natural Productivity: Assess, Decide, Do for only 9.99 USD.

iAdd Lite

Have fun!

iAdd Lite has all the features of the regular iAdd, with only one limitation: the total numbers of items you can have in a realm is limited to 5. For instance, in the Assess realm, you can have maximum 5 tasks at a given moment, 5 projects, 5 ideas and 5 events. Items which can contain other items follow the same pattern: a project or an idea can have only 5 tasks / details in it. Also, Collections can hold only a maximum of 5 different items.

For those of you who don’t know much about iAdd, here’s the scoop.

iAdd is a new approach towards productivity. Its name comes from a life management framework called “Assess – Decide – Do”. The main goal of this framework is to give your life back while still allowing you to get more done than any other productivity methodology. The “Assess – Decide – Do” framework states that we don’t act only on the “Do” realm, slashing tasks off of our list managers. We’re also assessing and deciding on stuff. We may brainstorm and daydream, or even procrastinate, and that would be ok, as long as we agree that we are on the Assess realm and there is no pressure on Do-ing. We can also Decide if we want to Do something, or send it back to Assess.

The first version of iAdd was built in only 30 days, by yours truly, without any prior knowledge of Objective C. Of course, during the making of iAdd, I applied my own framework.

iAdd takes pride for a minimalist interface, which will rather push you to act outside the app and assess, decide and do whatever you have to, rather than immersing you into another funny but unproductive pastime. Which, to be honest, the vast majority of to do list apps are doing nowadays with all those fancy and shiny interfaces. The goal of a productivity app should be to make YOU productive, not to spend all your free time in the app.

If you want to know more about the app, here is the official page of iAdd Lite, containing many additional resources.

Yes, We Run On iPad Too

Noticed how I silently added the iPad suffix too? Well, that’s because iAdd is now natively working on the iPad too. The good news is that you don’t have to pay extra bucks for it. iAdd is a Universal app. You pay only once (and you pay 3.99 USD, for a limited period of time) and you get 2 apps. If we take into account the iPod users, well, you get 3 apps in only one.

That’s one of the most important features of the latest version of iAdd. It’s not an app running in compatibility mode, it’s specifically designed for iPad. You will notice that all the main interface elements have been designed specifically for iPad, and the data enter workflow has been completely rewritten (click to see full size).

Look, I’m A Landscape!

Another new feature of the version 1.2 will be autorotation. Any data input app should have this, especially on smaller devices like the iPhone. It’s much more comfortable to type, or even to read your tasks while your device is on landscape. As many of you noticed this was an important oversight of the first version of iAdd. Well, it’s fixed now.

Send Anything By Email

Another common suggestion from iAdd customer was a way to make the data accessible in many ways. Everybody agreed that the app is easy to use, but not having a way to share your data outside the device was perceived like an important limitation. Well, starting with version 1.2 you can send any information via email. You can send tasks, you can send events, you can send even projects or ideas and all the contained tasks / details within the projects or ideas will be automatically added. All you have to do is to add an email address and hit send.

Cloud Syncing Is The New Black

As useful as it may be, email is kinda obsolete. I mean it’s a very good back-up solution, but the nicest thing of all is to have cloud syncing. Well, you asked for it, you got it. iAdd version 1.2 sync your data completely with Dropbox via Edge, #g or WiFi. You can now have access to all your tasks, projects or ideas from anywhere. Dropbox released an API for interacting with its widely popular cloud storage service only a few weeks ago but when I saw the press release, I knew I had to work with it.

The API is really fresh, so there might be some inconsistencies. I took all the measures I could think of to ensure a proper backup and syncing of your data, but as always, bad things may happen. Please use the support page listed in iTunes to give me a very thorough description of what wen bad. I’ll fix it.

The most common use case for syncing is when you have 2 devices: an iPhone that goes with you everywhere and an iPad which is more static. You can also have any combination of iPod, iPhone and iPad, of course. That’s one of the main reasons we have an iPad version too. You can use iAdd on any device, with its local database and once you hit sync, your information will be updated. As in most common syncing algorithms, I used the “most recent wins” approach. There are many ways in which you can sync your data, but for a sequential use case (not a concurrent access) this one seemed the most appropriate.

Workflow Improvements And Bug Fixes

There are also tons of bugfixes in this release and I won’t stop to mention each and every one of them. Maybe the most important one is the date selection mechanism which has been drastically improved. There are also a lot of new workflow enhancements and here is just a short list of what are the most important ones:

• a new context based view in the Decide realm
• now you can send a task back to Decide even before you finished it
• a task can be detached from a project, becoming a single task
• a task can be assigned to another idea
• a single task can be promoted to a project

You can see a full list of what’s new in the iTunes listing page.

It’s All Part Of The Framework

But the biggest competitive advantage of all would be of course the fact that iAdd implements the Assess-Decide-Do framework in a very handy and easy to use application. If you don’t know that yet, there’s an ebook documenting not only the framework, but also the entire iAdd functionality, from adding tasks to use cases. So iAdd is not just an app, it’s part of a bigger productivity framework, one that could allegedly be used not only for life management, but also for simpler and more mundane tasks like blogging or shopping. That’s right, you can use iAdd to plan your next blog post, or your next shopping session. There are even 2 sample chapters in the ebook which are talking specifically about that: how to use iAdd for blogging and for shopping.

So, if you like iAdd, I strongly recommend getting the ebook “Assess – Decide – Do: Natural Productivity” it’s only 27 USD and it would be THE companion for your iAdd app.

What’s new in version 1.1? Well, according to the iTunes release notes, we’re having the following goodies for you:

app compatible with OS3 up to iOS4 – local Notifications available only if you have iOS installed

major compatibility issues:

• now app runs on iPhone prior to iOS4, but without iOS4 specific features (not local notifications)

stability

• minor code refactoring
• eliminated several memory leaks

bug fixes

• limited the size of text you can add in all the textViews and textFields according to the database schema.
• fixed the error in the Do controller when deleting a task in the tableView won’t change the tabItem badge number
• solved an infrequent crash when you had only one task remained in the Assess realm

new features

• added ability to see outdated items in Do form the Settings
• added ability to see no badge number whatsoever in the appBadge from Settings

A lot of people emailed (or replied on Twitter) asking why we launched the app only for iOS4. The answer is: we wanted to take advantage of the new local notifications feature in iOS4. But as the feedback continued to pour in, I realized that potential users don’t care too much about those type of technicalities. They would rather try to workflow without any bells and whistles and then upgrade to a higher iOS version, if and when they feel it necessary. So, I pulled the plug and decided to make the app available for lower versions to.

Other people asked why the app doesn’t work for iPad. Well, with this version it does work on iPad and I think that’s a VERY good news. But keep in mind that iAdd wasn’t desgined specifically for the iPad. The overall interface was designed for a much smaller device. Some people may argue that this may be an advantage on the iPad. Will see. Any feedback on this issue is highly appreciated. I do have in mind an iPad specific version but I will rather wait a few months, until I get a grip of how the app is actually used. And until I get an iPad, of course.

Other than that, I still work on the next major version (that would be 2.0) which will include sync and collaborative work. No release date for that yet, but I’m rather please with the progress.

So, if you didn’t grabber your own copy of iAdd for iPhone, I kindly urge you to do so, by following this link: iAdd for iPhone. It’s only 2.99 USD and, as some of the reviewers on the AppStore said, it’s a really small price to pay compared with the benefits.

iAdd for iPhone is finally live on App Store [that's an iTunes link, by the way, sending you directly there]. So, arm your vuvuzelas, prepare to cheer and applaud and let the joy flow out! This app will change the way you think about productivity for ever. And I mean it!

The app is at the first version, which usually means it has all the basic functionality needed to prove to concept. And the concept behind is pretty strong, it’s a life management framework called “Assess – Decide – Do” – hence the name, of the app. There is also a lot more to be done to iAdd, but with this launch I think we hit the point from where we could start asking for feedback. After all, the app is for you. If I would want to make an app just for myself, I don’t think I would have ever published it on the App Store, right?

Now, what can you do with iAdd? Why is this app so special?

First of all, iAdd features a single insertion point for all your data. It doesn’t allow you to mingle your state of Assessment (where you actually overload your system with data: tasks, events, ideas) with your states of Decide or Do. All your data will be inserted only in Assess. From there, you can perform on that data only activities related to your current realm: Decide (where you “sign a contract” to do that task or to attend to that event) or Do (where you actually cross-off that task or event).

Second, iAdd breaks down the specific activities in very easy – and, of course, natural – ways to perform them. The app has 3 tabs, corresponding to the 3 realms in the ADD framework: Assess, Decide, Do. In Decide, for instance, you only do what takes to bound your time and space to a specific task, meaning you set up a date and a context to it, you don’t edit it, nor you can delete it. Id you want to edit it, you take it out from Decide and put it into Assess.

Third, the Assess realms gives you a way to store your ideas, potential tasks or events, things that you know you won’t even decide about them soon. It’s a storage mechanism called “Collections”. Basically, you “archive” a task, event, project or idea and assign it to a certain collection. Inside that collection you can perform all the editing tasks, like changing the title of the task, adding or deleting tasks to a project, but you can send it directly to Decide. You have to make it available first in the Assess realm. In my personal practice I found that brainstorming for a little bit longer some ideas gives great results. So, think at the “Collections” feature like to a place to store your “stale” ideas, tasks, events or projects.

I could go like this for a very long time, but since this is only the launch post, I will stop here. There’s more to say about it, like the Contexts feature (you GTD’ers out there know what I mean) or even the super cool feature of local alerts (only available in iOS4) but I will save them for later.

Now, feel free to go to the App Store and buy the app, it’s only 2.99 USD and I’m pretty serious when I’m telling you that this is the introductory price.

As for the game itself, we had a terrific feed-back so far, in terms of stability and usability, so we really think you should give it a try. Also, a big thank you to all who downloaded the game and played with it even before the official launch, we’re feeling for you guys and we are forever grateful.

Now let’s get practical. How do you get the game? Well, you should do a search on Adroid market on iFlipEm and you should be set. Just keep in mind that we targeted Android 2.0 with this version (I know you may still run on 1.6 or even 1.5, but maybe it’s time to upgrade? The world is moving, you know…).

On the other hand, you could just click here: iFlipEm Lite Android (262) and download the .apk directly.

If you’re wondering why we’re having a “Lite” word in the app name, well, you’re pretty smart. We’re already testing the premium app (which will be called just iFlipEm) and we hope to have it up and running in a matter of weeks. What the premium app will have to offer? Well, a lot of goodies, but for the moment let’s just say it will bring you tons of tile types to chose from, a new settings screen and more.

iFlipEm is the ideal companion for the short breaks when you can’t focus enough to read blogs or news, but you do want to exercise your brain a little bit. Use it while you’re commuting, while standing in line or while waiting at the dentist (rumors has it that it will make fear go away too )

Here is the official page of the app: iFlipeEm Lite  for iPhone and here is the support page: iFlipEm Lite for iPhone support page (just leave a comment if you want to share something about the app).

Have fun and do let us know what you think about it. Yes, we know you’re going to love it, that’s understood, but telling us a few bits and pieces about how we can improve it will matter a lot to us. In the end, you’re the final user and you know better than us what you’re searching for in terms of iPhone entertainment.

What’s going to happen here at Mirabilis Media NZ? Well, as you may already know, we’re focused on building iPhone and iPad apps. That would be pretty much everything. But it will be big. Technology has finally evolved to that point where it can actually enhance our reality (now you got that hint about: “prepare for a bigger reality?” yes? cool!).

I do believe that by using technology in a better way we can make it work for us. Instead of us working for it, if you know what I mean.

Well, enough with this chatter. The bottom line is that we’re having a blog and we’re proud of it!