In reply to steveB:
Like radson, robust build, glove friendly buttons, one-handed operation and a viewfinder - in addition to the standard optical and electronic things, obviously - would be important criteria for me.
If I were buying now, I'd be looking at one of Fuji X series cameras; they've got plenty of fans on here, and there's some interesting comparisons between Fujis and Sonys a google away. I probably wouldn't be buying an X20, personally, because when I tried it, I thought the swivel on/off mechanism would be a nuisance in the hills. One other potential problem could be short battery life.