Another vote for Canon, I got an S50 about 18 months ago and I simply love it.
5 Megas is NICE... Its got tons of features, I started to go for an S500, but was afraid since I am a huge, clumsy, ogre that I might drop the lil bastid.
It was the best 400 bucks I ever spent man. Do some research, when I was researching to buy then, the SONY cybershot was my other choice. I ruled it out cuz it was more cash, and the pictures had more "digital noise" in them. In other words, the canon looks more like a 35mm, and the Sony looks a touch more like a digital picture.
Don't know if that is the same or not now, Sony may be better.
I wouldn't get anything other than Sony, Canon, or Nikon tho. All the others are just 2nd rate IMO.
Bill