Well I tried out the Canon A1100 for a weekend and took it back. I wasn't impressed with it at all. After tons of research and some hands on. Kain was right . I ended up with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS6. Seems to be one heck of a camera. Thanks for the tip Kain.
The rechargeable battery should be O.K. I found a deal on Amazon. 2 batteries and a wall-car charger for $29.