I recently bought a digital slr but before that I've had canon powershots and i think they are brill. picture quality is great, the software is easy to use, they take SD cards which are dirt cheap these days and you can use rechargeable AA batteries so you can carry loads with you and never run out of power although they run for ages on one set.
the A590 is 8mp and costs around £120
I'll pm you a link
summer x