Possibly slightly higher in price, but the Fuji F31 (and I believe the F30) is the only compact camera to get the highly recommended award on the DPReview website. It has a lower number of pixels but has a fantastic lens and sensor which means that the pictures come out very good. Added to that is the camera's ability to take photos in low light situations very well, to quote from the aforementioned review:
Given that most 'average' casual snap shooters are likely to use their camera at (dimly lit) social occasions more than at any other time, this is a real, significant advantage; allowing flash-free photography without blur. More serious photographers will welcome a camera that brings the low light capabilities of a compact a step or two closer to those of most digital SLRs.
My best advice would be to check out the DPReview site for cameras you like the look of that are in your price range (and also check what they compare the cameras to) and then go and hold them in the shop and see how easy they are to use. That's how we chose our SLR, we liked the look of both the Canon and the Nikon D80, but holding them in the store the D80 just felt a nicer camera to use and we were more happy using it, so that's what we went with.