Chicago: The US president-elect had a rare breakfast at home and then rushed off to a friend's gym

Barack Obama began his first day as US president-elect with the pleasure of having breakfast with his wife and daughters at home.

Later, he left the house alone, clad in sports clothes, a cap and sunglasses, and spent an hour at a friend's apartment building where he uses the gym. By the time he left, a small crowd of well-wishers had gathered outside, cheering as his car drove off.

Then it was back home to shower before heading in to the office in a downtown building, where he held a conference call to thank campaign staff around the country.

Obama wore a suit, but skipped the tie, and carried a black satchel. Asked how much sleep he had managed to get, he said, "Not as much as I'd like."

He is planning to stay in Chicago until the weekend and make arrangements for the funeral of his grandmother Madelyn Dunham (86), who died two days before the election. Obama's staff said he would address the media by the end of the week, but Cabinet announcements were not planned that soon.

Computers hacked

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Obama's election team's computers were hacked by a 'foreign entity'.

Officials at the FBI and the White House believe the hackers sought to gather information on the evolution of both his and John McCain's policy positions with the idea of using that information in negotiations with the next administration.

Obama technical experts later speculated the hackers were Russian or Chinese, and security ended the intrusion.