Canon S90 looks promising
Canon has just announced a duo of high-end compact digital cameras, the G11 and S90. The G11 is the successor to the highly acclaimed G10 not-quite-pocketable digicam which generated numerous rave reviews last year. Suffice to say that at ISO 80 to 200, shooting raw, the G10 produces outstanding results. The G11 adds a flip-out LCD (never been a big fan myself) and a new sensor with *lower* pixel count for improved low-light sensitivity. The trouble with the G10 is that, while compact by DSLR standards, it just isn't small enough to carry at all times. This is exactly where the S90 comes in - same sensor, even faster lens (f/2.0 at 28mm equiv.), and a new twist on the control dial scheme (if you'll excuse the bad pun), it could be just the right pocket camera.
Pixel densities compared - Canon G10, Canon G11, Nikon D90, Nikon D700. They are 34 MP/cm², 23 MP/cm², 3.3 MP/cm², and 1.4 MP/cm² respectively. Ok, a compact is never going to be anywhere near as light sensitive as even an APS-C DSLR, but f the new sensor delivers even a 1-stop improvement over the old one it would be great. Can't wait to get my hands on one!
Edit: I think Canon missed a trick with this one however. They should have left a small attachment point and released an optional external viewfinder, with brightlines for 28/35/50mm framing.