What are some good cameras for first time digital photographers?

My number one choice right now is the Nikon D3100.

You should try to compare that w/ a canon T2i. I bought 2 T2i and gave one to my younger brother since it ended up being a good deal. They're pretty good, and has similar characteristics and internal components as canon's 7D, which is canon's flag ship motion and video capture DSLR. One of the things that helped me decide on a t2i was the ability to add video camera upgrades. A stabilizer and a low light, fast lens and it can take cinema quality videos. You should check out some videos taken w/ that camera, you'll be impressed. I originally bought the first one to take some travel photos, but then i started to get into its video options.