You could consider the PTR-1 from PlexTalk, it isn't necessarily cheap, $895, but it will do most of what you want.  It is a DA*ISY DTB player/recorder, that records onto CE's.

Dave



At 06:04 PM 10/15/2004, you wrote:
>Does anyone have any suggestions for a recording solution that might allow a
>student at university to take useful audio records of lectures and other
>taught sessions. The solution needs to meet the following criteria:-
>It produces recordings that are as clear as possible in a variety of
>settings (allowing an external mike to be used if necessary).
>It allows for long sessions to be recorded.
>It has a clear display that shows the student how much time has gone by, so
>they can annotate their notes with this and so access these parts of the
>recording quickly later on.
>It allows index marks to be placed while recording, for easy access to parts
>of the recording later.
>It has large, easy to use controls.
>Very important - It allows the student to control playback using a
>footswitch, making it easier to take notes afterwards e.g. when working at a
>computer.
>It doesn't cost a huge amount of money!
>
>The Sony MZ-B10 minidisc recorder with footswitch controller was a good
>solution but has recently been discontinued.
>
>Any advice gratefully received!
>Ian