Which SLR is the better buy?

I'm an amateur photography and really got interested in this art. For Christmas, I could choose a DSLR for a gift, but there are too many choices for me to pick. I have a budget between $700-1000 and am considering a Canon T2i (550D) or a Nikon D90. But the Nikon D90 is almost 2 years since its introduction and the 550D is fairly newer and that both could be offer for around the same price. Also, please suggest some other good alternatives!

Added (1). I'm also considering Canon EOS 60D instead of the Nikon D90. Are there any major differences between the 60D and the 550D (t2i)? How are the handling of both differ?

The Mercedes McLaren SLR

Have you looked at the Nikon D3000?

I suggest you look at the Canon T2i (550D) or the Nikon D3100
Both of them are really good cameras and the Nikon has very nice video(Great auto focus) The Nikon is cheaper that the canon but if you want it mainly for photos i would go for the Canon T2i and if you want to go for videos the go for the Nikon D3100 (it doesn't have a mic input thou but as I said the auto focus is great) But if you have the money go for the Canon T2i (550D) its a really nice camera and get you some decent lenses because the lens can make or break the camera.

A nice site to see cameras compared side-by-side is http://www.dpreview.com/...byside.asp