Help me decide between these 2 cameras:

Option 1: Canon PowerShot A1100
Option 2: Nikon CoolPix S560

It's a gift for the lady friend (hence the color), but I wanna make sure I get her a nice sleak lil camera that's both good for outdoor nature shots, and indoor party shots.

She's leaning more towards the Nikon due to it's slimmer design and superior zoom, and I like it better because it doesn't use AA's like the cannon does.

why not consider the Canon Powershot SD series. They are a bit smaller then the A series and don't use AA batteries.

I have an older Powershot SD450 and the quality is great and it is very small with a huge lcd for its size. Other then the fact that the airlines broke the LCD on it it is still an awesome camera that takes great pictures, and I can put it in my front pocket!

They even have a pink one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830120331

Edit: after looking that Nikon is pretty nice!

I have a Canon SD1000 and it's a very good camera if your looking for a great ultra compact.

This is the one my wife has- she likes it very much.
http://www.walmart.com/Kodak-Easyshare-C913-Camera/ip/10325553

I'd go with the Canon. It's really a no brainer.

However, Having owned several 2 battery cameras, I vowed never again. The difference in battery life between 4 bats and 2 is profound. My current camera is a Canon A640. It's about as close to perfect as I've ever gotten in a Digi Cam.

Read dpreview.com and steves-digicams.com and decide for yourself and you will have learned a lot!

also cameralabs, though they are more interested in SLRs

You know I did all the research online too... and was convinced at the time that a Fuji was right for us. But when we hit the electronics mall in Taipei... my wife loved the Sony N1... huge touchscreen, 8MP, and easy for her to use... I guess I'm trying to say... try it before you buy... you might come away with a totally different camera.

Fuji is crap. Complete crap. Some of the lowest quality pics around. Tons of low-light noise and purple fringing.

I would consider Canon, Sony, Nikon and Pentax.

The best digicams I've owned have been Canon's. You have to know what your priorities are before you go shopping. Men and women tend to have totally different priorities so it's best to let women chose their own and remain as silent as possible.

I was once in best buy and witnessed and argument between man and wife that may have led to blows later on and maybe even a divorce. They were there to buy a computer and she wanted the one that looked the prettiest to her. she didn't care about anything other than the looks and how well it matched the decor of their home. He, on the other hand, wanted to make a decision based on specs, performance, etc. He thought she was being stupid and told her so in no uncertain terms. It quickly escalated into a war of words where the profanity got so bad the mange asked them to leave the store. He left in the car peeling rubber out of the parking lot, she waited for a ride at the front door.

Moral of the story is, don't try to make a joint technology purchasing decision with a woman. lol.