And just a quick word of caution - be careful when hearing people's reviews of a camera line, as many folks don't realize there are many different cameras that fit under the same 'name'. For example, someone saying 'I love my Powershot', or 'my Cybershot is awesome', or 'get a Lumix!' aren't specifying which particular model they have - within each of those lines there are literally HUNDREDS of camera models, ranging from el-cheapo plastic junkers to ultrathin small zooms to chunky basic compacts to ultrazooms with huge lenses. They can be anywhere from .6" wide to 6" wide, anywhere from 3x zoom to 18x zoom.
Make sure before you decide that you get the exact model number each person is referring to (like SX20 and TX10 as listed above)...that will tell you which model in particular they've had good or bad experiences with.
As for me - I have been having good experiences of late with Sony cameras, though I've also owned Canon and Fuji. For pocketable P&S, I have a few-year-old Sony TX1, which is one of the thinnest, most pocketable things ever made - convenient and decent for basic shooting. For good quality all-around or portable shooting (not pocketable) I use a Sony NEX3, which is a large-DSLR-sensored compact mirrorless camera that can take interchangeable lenses - I can use this for shooting high quality, indoors, low light, etc. and it's still more portable than a DSLR. And my third camera is my Sony A550 DSLR, which is a large DSLR for which I have a bunch of lenses for various needs.