Mark, I've got one of the Cobolt talking calculators too and it's fine for what you want. It's small with a lid that comes down over the keys when not in use. It takes one of those flat button batteries and the battery compartment is at the back towards the bottom of the unit. The speech is very clear female speech and I think it's a good price. Cheers, Sandra. ** To leave the list, send a message to:- ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq