5 ms·

This is essentially what I'm doing these days. I wrote quite a lot of my upcoming CoffeeScript book (and its example applications) this way in Istanbul. Spendin

by bergie 14y ago

This is essentially what I'm doing these days. I wrote quite a lot of my upcoming CoffeeScript book (and its example applications) this way in Istanbul. Spending the morning in one waterpipe cafe, then afternoon in another. Battery life was the main hindrance, as I would always need to find a place with a convenient power socket at least for the other half of the day. If somebody made an MBA-like, Linux-capable machine with a full-day battery, I'd buy it no matter the cost.

muellerwolfram 14y ago
I can recommend the lenovo x220 ultrabook. mine is lasting for 5-7 hours, but with additional battery packs, you can get it up to 24 hours apperently http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/lenovos-x220-thinkpad-with-24-hour-battery/ http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/lenovos-x220-thinkpad...
moconnor 14y ago
Have you looked at ultrabook-class laptops with removable battery packs? Might work out for you. How was Istanbul?
- bergie 14y ago
  Istanbul is awesome. Scenery is beautiful, and the waterpipe cafes don't mind if you sit there the whole day, as long as you order tea or something every now and then. Quite a lot of them have decent WiFi as well, though many sites are blocked in Turkey. This might give an idea of the places I worked in: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bergie/sets/72157631399738304/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bergie/sets/72157631399738304/ Slightly more expensive city to live in than Berlin, though. It felt a lot cheaper when I moved there for a while from Helsinki back in 2008.
  - phillmv 14y ago
    More expensive than Berlin? I just got back from a trip to both Berlin and Istanbul. As a tourist at least it's way cheaper. Is rent just that much higher?
    - bergie 14y ago
      I don't remember the rent exactly. It may have been somewhat similar or slightly more expensive in Istanbul. But eating out is definitely more expensive there, unless you want to subsist on lahmacun.
      - ebiester 14y ago
        It depends on what you eat, but there's far more than lahmacun on the diet. Now, you're probably sticking to Turkish food (Chinese is going to start at 15TL, the equivalent of 8.5 dollars or so) but I'm regularly eating decent food for the 3-8 dollar (2.5-6 euro) range, with drink. Great produce is also ridiculously cheap here, which makes cooking a much better deal.
    - jiggy2011 14y ago
      Depends if you spent more time in east or west Berlin I guess, from what I remember there was a shocking price difference between the two.
    - iuguy 14y ago
      I haven't been to Berlin but have spent a lot of time in Istanbul. Istanbul is big, really really big, like mind-bogglingly big. It's Europe's biggest city (although technically part of it is in Asia too) but if you want to live somewhere posh like Bebek or Nisantasi it's as expensive as anywhere else nice in a major European city. If on the other hand you're prepared to live in a less nice area or a bit further out then there's some good deals to be had. If you're living somewhere properly then the quality of the food is far higher than that accessible to me here in my bit of the UK, eating out is generally more expensive in terms of average income percentage but typically less expensive than London in terms of raw costs. I would highly recommend Istanbul to anyone looking to try something a bit different. It really does feel like nowhere else in the world, a chaotic mishmash of east and west but with a great vibe and great people.
      - rolleiflex 14y ago
        If any of you guys need help / advice on just about anything in the city, let me know. I'm a Turkish expat designer (from Istanbul) living in New York—I wouldn't mind helping a fellow HNer.
- peteretep 14y ago
  Can't comment from a working perspective, but Istanbul - as with all of Turkey I've been to - is awesome (and I've lived in a bunch of places). All the exotic of North Africa filled with people who are honest, decent, friendly, and won't harass you. If I get myself mobile again, Turkey is top on my list of places to spend 3-6 months. Did I mention the food is great?
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
peteretep 14y ago
30 seconds Googlin': http://www.hypershop.com/HyperJuice-External-Battery-for-MacBook-iPad-60Wh-p/mbp-060.htm http://www.hypershop.com/HyperJuice-External-Battery-for-Mac... I wonder how heavy it is... I carry a similar item for my iPad and iPhone in my day bag by default, as my iPhone has some battery issues.
- bergie 14y ago
  Sounds like a reasonable option. According to Wikipedia, the 11" MBA has a 35 Wh battery, so additional 60 Wh would indeed be a big improvement. From their Amazon specs (http://amzn.com/B00449I41K http://amzn.com/B00449I41K): High capacity 60-Watt-hour lithium ion battery allows you to use your MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air for up to 20 hours That page also gives the weight as 362 grams (12.8 ounces). But then you'll also need the MacBook airline adapter which is another 49$. The battery itself is 168$ (and the same amount in €). Here is a review: http://www.slashgear.com/hyperjuice-external-battery-for-macbook-2012-lineup-hands-on-16209492/ http://www.slashgear.com/hyperjuice-external-battery-for-mac... Seems like a valid option if I decide to stay with MBAs after February. Update, Amazon reviews don't seem to agree: So although it won't charge my MBA battery it looks like it will power it for over 3 hours (three stars) i believed the 20 hour run time they posted. right. sure. i bought it so i could use my macbook at the cabin (no electricity). what i got was, at best, 3 1/2 hours of power from it (one star) If I use the HyperMac with just the MacBook Pro 13 inch I get probably about 2 hours of use out of this external battery. (five stars)
  - peteretep 14y ago
    I'd be interested if you find other alternatives - I'm sure they're out there! :-) I guess weight / charge time is the biggest variable

by bergie 14y ago

muellerwolfram 14y ago

I can recommend the lenovo x220 ultrabook. mine is lasting for 5-7 hours, but with additional battery packs, you can get it up to 24 hours apperently http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/lenovos-x220-thinkpad-with-24-hour-battery/ http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/lenovos-x220-thinkpad...

moconnor 14y ago

Have you looked at ultrabook-class laptops with removable battery packs? Might work out for you. How was Istanbul?

bergie 14y ago
Istanbul is awesome. Scenery is beautiful, and the waterpipe cafes don't mind if you sit there the whole day, as long as you order tea or something every now and then. Quite a lot of them have decent WiFi as well, though many sites are blocked in Turkey. This might give an idea of the places I worked in: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bergie/sets/72157631399738304/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bergie/sets/72157631399738304/ Slightly more expensive city to live in than Berlin, though. It felt a lot cheaper when I moved there for a while from Helsinki back in 2008.
- phillmv 14y ago
  More expensive than Berlin? I just got back from a trip to both Berlin and Istanbul. As a tourist at least it's way cheaper. Is rent just that much higher?
  - bergie 14y ago
    I don't remember the rent exactly. It may have been somewhat similar or slightly more expensive in Istanbul. But eating out is definitely more expensive there, unless you want to subsist on lahmacun.
    - ebiester 14y ago
      It depends on what you eat, but there's far more than lahmacun on the diet. Now, you're probably sticking to Turkish food (Chinese is going to start at 15TL, the equivalent of 8.5 dollars or so) but I'm regularly eating decent food for the 3-8 dollar (2.5-6 euro) range, with drink. Great produce is also ridiculously cheap here, which makes cooking a much better deal.
  - jiggy2011 14y ago
    Depends if you spent more time in east or west Berlin I guess, from what I remember there was a shocking price difference between the two.
  - iuguy 14y ago
    I haven't been to Berlin but have spent a lot of time in Istanbul. Istanbul is big, really really big, like mind-bogglingly big. It's Europe's biggest city (although technically part of it is in Asia too) but if you want to live somewhere posh like Bebek or Nisantasi it's as expensive as anywhere else nice in a major European city. If on the other hand you're prepared to live in a less nice area or a bit further out then there's some good deals to be had. If you're living somewhere properly then the quality of the food is far higher than that accessible to me here in my bit of the UK, eating out is generally more expensive in terms of average income percentage but typically less expensive than London in terms of raw costs. I would highly recommend Istanbul to anyone looking to try something a bit different. It really does feel like nowhere else in the world, a chaotic mishmash of east and west but with a great vibe and great people.
    - rolleiflex 14y ago
      If any of you guys need help / advice on just about anything in the city, let me know. I'm a Turkish expat designer (from Istanbul) living in New York—I wouldn't mind helping a fellow HNer.
peteretep 14y ago
Can't comment from a working perspective, but Istanbul - as with all of Turkey I've been to - is awesome (and I've lived in a bunch of places). All the exotic of North Africa filled with people who are honest, decent, friendly, and won't harass you. If I get myself mobile again, Turkey is top on my list of places to spend 3-6 months. Did I mention the food is great?
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]

peteretep 14y ago

30 seconds Googlin': http://www.hypershop.com/HyperJuice-External-Battery-for-MacBook-iPad-60Wh-p/mbp-060.htm http://www.hypershop.com/HyperJuice-External-Battery-for-Mac... I wonder how heavy it is... I carry a similar item for my iPad and iPhone in my day bag by default, as my iPhone has some battery issues.

bergie 14y ago
Sounds like a reasonable option. According to Wikipedia, the 11" MBA has a 35 Wh battery, so additional 60 Wh would indeed be a big improvement. From their Amazon specs (http://amzn.com/B00449I41K http://amzn.com/B00449I41K): High capacity 60-Watt-hour lithium ion battery allows you to use your MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air for up to 20 hours That page also gives the weight as 362 grams (12.8 ounces). But then you'll also need the MacBook airline adapter which is another 49$. The battery itself is 168$ (and the same amount in €). Here is a review: http://www.slashgear.com/hyperjuice-external-battery-for-macbook-2012-lineup-hands-on-16209492/ http://www.slashgear.com/hyperjuice-external-battery-for-mac... Seems like a valid option if I decide to stay with MBAs after February. Update, Amazon reviews don't seem to agree: So although it won't charge my MBA battery it looks like it will power it for over 3 hours (three stars) i believed the 20 hour run time they posted. right. sure. i bought it so i could use my macbook at the cabin (no electricity). what i got was, at best, 3 1/2 hours of power from it (one star) If I use the HyperMac with just the MacBook Pro 13 inch I get probably about 2 hours of use out of this external battery. (five stars)
- peteretep 14y ago
  I'd be interested if you find other alternatives - I'm sure they're out there! :-) I guess weight / charge time is the biggest variable