I very highly recommend Nikon's digitals as they offer some of the best picture quality. The majority of professional photographers use either Nikons or Canons. They tend to offer many more customized features that you would find on higher end SLR cameras than say Sony, Kodak, Fuji, HP, etc. cameras do. If you care about this definitely spend a little extra to get a Nikon and/or Canon. If you want a simple point and shot without many options look at a cheaper camera.
For some great digital camera reviews see:
www.computers.com (i.e. c/net). Great place to go when buying just about any electronics.