It converts.

I needed a small calculator for my desk at work. I didn't need anything big or fancy, just something to do basic calculations. My boss was going to Office Depot to pick up some supplies and I asked him to pick me up a small desk calculator. He brought back a Casio SL-200TE because it had an exchange rate conversion on it. Since we are owned by a UK based company, I do conversions quite frequently.

The last calculator I had died on me after about a week. I had this Casio for several months now. The exchange rate converter is a pretty nice feature. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to program it and use it. There are three conversion buttons. The first one is for your home currency. The other two are used for programming the exchange rates for different conversion rates. My home currency is US$. If my first conversion rate is the UK and I want to convert a US$ amount to Pounds Sterling, I enter the amount press the button for my home currency and then press the button for the UK currency and it gives me my conversion. If I want to convert from Pounds Sterling to US$ then I press the button for UK currency then the button for US$. The currency rates are retained in memory until you change them.

There is also an option to use a constant. This is a nice option if you have a list of numbers you need to perform the same calculation; such as converting from pounds to kilos. I like to use the constant 2.2046. Enter 2.2046, press the times key twice, then enter the number you want to convert, then =. This will give you your first conversion. For the next conversion, just enter the number that needs converted and then =. It will automatically multiply the number by 2.2046. The only downfall is the calculator doesn't retain the constant. Once you hit clear it is erased.

This calculator is pretty compact. I just have it sitting on my desk. It could get a bit bulky if you have to carry it in a daytimer, purse or wallet. It flips open and lays flat. If I could change one thing, I'd like to be able to angle the display so I wouldn't have to look straight down at it.