Thinking about new camera equipment

I'm getting a bit tired about missed photo opporturnities due to the my current camera, Canon Digital Ixus 400. It is over five years old, a quite basic point and shoot with a couple of more advanced features thrown in. The biggest drawbacks are 1) slow speed, 2) problems with focusing, 3) no real control over focus, exposure etc.

But what are the choices? I have been pondering Canon 450D, Nikon D60, Olympus E-520, and Sony A200 as the most attractive low-end digital SLRs. None of these really attract, mainly due to the size and complexity. The other candidates are basically Panasonic DMC-LX3, Canon PowerShot G9 (or G10, if it is soon released), and the rumoured Nikon Coolpix P6000. I would like to have a compact-sized camera with moderate zoom (starting at 24-28 mm), manual controls, effective image stabilization, and good low-light performace. And speed where it matters: fast focusing and minimal shutter lag.

Unfortunately such cameras don't really exist currently. Perhaps they would eat too much into the profitable market of entry-level SLRs. But I think this is about to change, the prices in SLRs have gone down considerably so that a more demanding users' compact probably will be a good market for manufacturers.