The highly stressing and joyful process of purchasing a new camera

Like my friend and mentor Paula da Silva says, we women like to dream about, wonder, dissect everything about purchasing a new thing. Well, this time I'm wondering about a high-quality compact camera mainly for street photography and random stuff (as always) to keep with me.

Some of the candidates are:

1. Panasonic Lumix LX3
   
2. Canon Powershot G9 (or G10 if that happens)

... or even some of the older models to save some cash, since cameras that you always keep with you, well, are prone to getting mugged :-(

Anyway, I'll post my never ending quest for the perfect compact and noisy camera here.

Here is the first interesting review on Panasonic Lumix LX3. Apparently it is highly recommended there. Some other reviews and news are here and here, but not in such a level of detail that I can make a decision on. I guess I'll have to wait to go to my favorite store (that is, BH Photo Video in NY)... next year. *sigh*.