Guitar Pro tab software, you can find so many tabs for this software out there and it really is a fantastic tool for learning songs that you love quickly and easily. Very powerful program.
Best tutorial program i've used is the Charanga Guitar Coach set of CD's. Very easy to use, helped me pick up a lot in a short space of time. Also look up a guy called Justin Sandercoe on youtube. He's got a bunch of free tutorials from beginner to intermediate and beyond.
To learn properly you need to do the groundwork which isn't anywhere near as appealling as playing your favourite tunes, but will certainly help you play these tunes better, quicker. Try aim for a good balance of random messing around on tabs you like and proper tutorials, learning scales, chords etc.
With regards to the guitar, make sure you get a guitar that looks visually appealing to you. If you think it looks just 'ok' you won't pick it up to mess around with as often (speaking from personal experience). If you have a stunning guitar sitting across from your computer desk it'll make you pick it up that much more often, trust me!
Anyhoo, best advice of all: Practice, practice practice and have heaps of fun doing so!