in this price range, *every* camera has at least one flaw.
The A70 (the canons in general) are known to produce 'softer' image.
After a lot of research i chose a Digital Elph S230 (over the A70), and i absolutely luv it
Besides, the S230 came with a charger and a battery. The A70 may be cheaper, but what gives if you have to buy some extra NiMhs and a charger which is included with the Elphs already ?

Otherwise the Elphs and the A70 are pretty much the same regarding picture quality.
Oh, and why do people say 'the A70 is good' ?
Because it has a lot of features. BUT..i think it's a paradoxon to want to get a point and shoot camera, and the same time wanting to have as good as everything manually controllable like a Pro

The many features dont make the optics/lenses of a typical $300/$400 point and shoot on par with a $3000 digital SLR.
Short: Many features, but optics are rather 'average'. All the review sites seem to focus on the features, therefore 'recommending' the cam.
I'd just look what you want for yourself in a cam. Features, size etc. ??? But dont expect too much from a point&shoot cam in terms of 100% image quality in *all* situations. You wont get it - but you can always get some good compromise cameras, eg. canon A60/A70/Elphs etc..