Modifying a telephone message box (cheap cheap sampler)

[Bogdan Wies Taw Raczynski]

Alright.  I finally received this nice little unit that's intended to be 
used as an answering machine of sorts.  It can hold up to 32 seconds, and 
you split the 32 seconds onto 8 banks (8 buttons).  It's made to make 
your little home business look bigger by having an automated answering 
service (i just wanted the sampling thing).  And heck, I couldn't go 
wrong for $6.50.  

Here's my question;

I want to do a few things to do box, If I can, so that I could use it to 
the full extent.  

First of all, it feeds off of a 9v ac adaptor.  I'm wondering if there is 
anyway that I can rip this out and have it work off of batteries, thus 
making it portable.  So I can lug it around and record dog barks and car 
wrecks and all that good stuff that happens in real life outside of my 
dorm room.  

Secondly, the way that you record the message is by hooking up the phone 
receiver to the box.  I suppose I could carry around a phone receiver 
with me at all, but I was wondering if I could somehow do something that 
would allow me to use a microphone.  I'm thinking there might be a 
converter (phone type jack -> 1/8" female plug), but that sounds a bit 
far out.  I thought about ripping out the phone plugs in it altogether, 
but I'm sure that the circuit somehow depends on the jacks. 

On the box, there is an in/out for the phone plugs.  I'd like to make the 
in (normally the phone receiver) be a plug of some kind to allow me 
to use a microphone, and the out to be a 1/4" jack (to be used an output 
so I can hook it up tooa mixer or such).  

I know this is all probably a bit way off the general synth-diy topic, 
but in a way, what I'm trying to do (with your help, hopefully) is make 
my own cheap cheap sampler.  
Also, I'm guessing that since nobody has the schematics for this thing 
except the company who made it, It'd probably be hard to help .  I'm 
looking for any general hints, or ideas, as to whether any of these 
things are possible at all.  Can I convert a phone plug into a 1/8" or 
1/4" female jack somehow?  Can I change the battery source to feed off of 
batteries instead of a 9v ac adaptor, somehow? 

Any hints, help, answer, whatever, would be greatly appreciated.  


THANKS!

-bog