What to look for when buying a digital camera!

Yes, a digital camera, not a camcorder! I bought one that had 3x optical zoom, with 9.8 megapixels for 105 dollars, the brand was by Kodak. But, here's the problem. When I put in the batteries, and turn on the power, it doesn't turn on. pomegranatety camera. I'm going to return it and get a new and better camera (bought this on Jan 27th).

Any tips? What brands of cameras do you guys look for? What kind of specs are you interested in or look at?

Please tell.

I'm good at computers, but when it comes to cameras, I'm clueless.