wow, I just noticed that Mr-914 has 995 posts. Should we throw a forum party when he reaches 1000? 
I wouldn’t get so caught up in the touchscreen hype. It seems like it would be more trouble then good. Also there’s no way anyone can say so-and-so brand sucks. There are good cameras made by all brands. It all really depends on what you really need. What are you going to be shooting, what qualities and features do you want, how much battery life will be good for you (taking it on weekend hiking trips, etc) size, blah blah. Personally I recently got a Kodak, and I couldn’t be happier.
I of course read many reviews and it got very good reviews (but I thought Kodak sucked?). I mainly needed a camera with decent quality (5mp, even though I am taking pictures on the lowest setting, I have no use for a picture that is 20 inches wide) and that turns on quickly, and will take a picture quickly, not overwhelmed with features but has some there for you to play with if you must…
Check out these sites, very helpful when choosing a dc…
http://www.dcresource.com/
http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/
The guy on the first one seem to do some extensive testing and even offers alternatives for other cameras.
I’m a bit late to the conversation but…
I use a Sony N1 as my point and shoot. Its a little thicker than I would like, but looks slick, has minimal buttons and is really quite simple to use. Perfect example of why a touch screen camera is a good idea: you remove a bunch of buttons which have occasional use functions such as flash and delete, and use that surface area to fit a larger screen for better viewing of your photos:
more camera reviews and info than you can shake a stick at.
I’ve personally had a great experience with my panasonic camera, as stated before, great Leica lens and the image stabilizer is worth at least 2-3 mega pixels.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmcfz20.asp
it was about $600 bucks at the time, but you can find smaller/cheaper point-n-shoot versions with the image stabilization.
check this new camera from Samsung. it has analog gauges. looks pretty sweet. metal body too! I have a samsung now (NV10) and find the overall quality, UI and pics great, so for sure would be interested in checking this one out if i needed a small digicam.
funny thing though to see the comments on the gizmodo post that bash the analog gauges. guess simple, classic design aint for everyone. 
full info here -
R
from the giz comments
Smith: “Who’s got some ideas for our new point-and-shoot?”
Johnson {raises hand shyly, voice cracking}: “Well, uh, Mr. Smith, how about if we put a couple of analog gauges on top, for shutter speed and aperture?”
Smith: “Jeezus f-ing christ on a pogo stick, Johnson! Shutter and aperture? We’re in business to SELL these babies and we don’t need to f-ing CONFUSE the F out of our customers.”
Johnson : “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. How about if one of the gauges is an exposure meter and the other a distance-to-subject?”
Smith: “WHAT??? How many Albert-friggin-Ensteins do you think are out there??? Keep it simple stupid! If I haven’t learned anything in my 17 years making dishwashers and ice makers, it’s that!”
Johnson: “Then, how about if one of them is the amount of battery left, and the other is the amount of memory?”
Smith: “You mean like the gas gauge on your car? When the needle points down, you’re empty?”
Johnson: “Yeah, uh, I guess so”
Smith: “Yeah, that’s so simple, every idiot customer of ours will understand it. I LOVE IT!”
ahahaha. that guy must be involved in product devo of some sort.
what about the smasung NV7?
i have one, theyre pretty good.
a bit quirky looking, the interface is cool aswell, sort of like a touch sensitive button thing going on
Richard: I love it!