best compact? (for the wife)

[SooTyLaD]

what is the best camera at the moment in the small handbag compact kind of genre? been looking at the canon ixus/sony dsc-n1 sort of models but i figure you guys would know if there was one which stands comfortably above the rest

price range 150-250 and as good a compromise between size, functionality & image quality as possible...

cheers in advance peeps

 

[SooTyLaD]

is the ixus definately a better camera than such as the sony dcs-n1 and the like? (its just you've all mentioned the ixus but the one that really caught my eye - only aesthetically mind! - was the sony)

i have never owned a cybershot so wouldn't really know...