Time for a new digital camera...

I'd like to purchase a new digital camera. My friend used a Konica Minolta DiMage Z1 at the Super Bowl and his shots came out pretty good. I would have bought a better camera in Jacksonville, but all I could find was a somewhat crappy Vivitar ViviCam, which worked ok in some instances, but total sucked in most cases.

What I'm looking for is this, and I'm open to suggestions.

- 4 megapixels or greater
- up to 10x zoom would be cool
- optical zoom
- compact flash or memory stick
- not sure about lens type - could use some help here
- USB or firewire, NTSC/PAL connectivity
- automatic exposure
- automatic focus
- jpg or tiff format
- video clips with audio
- some sort of anti-shake or stability control

Canon seems to be the most popular brand followed by Nikon and Konica Minolta. I don't know how much I'm willing to spend, and this, unfortunately would be the most important selection criteria. I get a little uncomfortable with something over $500, but I could see spending more if it were worth it. I don't intend to be a prize winning photographer, but would enjoy taking pictures more if the end result were better.

I could really use some help... I know some of you have a good amount of knowledge of digital photography and would value your opinions greatly. Thanks in advance.