I have an older digital elph (canon), I can't remember the exact model number. For its time, it was very high end.
I love it because it's small. The zoom feature isn't all that and it isn't the most user friendly thing in the world!
I totally agree with "test driving". While I don't mind my camera and won't be upgrading any time soon, it was my first digital camera and I learned a lot about what I liked and what I didn't like.
Shopping is fun though!