Would like to know which is the best digital camera to buy for all around use. 500 dollars or less?

I only recommend Exilim - Casio, We bought it 5 months ago and we are so happy with it.
The Camera has so many features, if you buy a memory card you can take good resolution videos better than the normal video camera , anti shake, the battery stay for so long and the price is very reasonable.
try :- http://exilim.casio.com/

There is no right answer to that. It's like asking what the best car is for under $30.000. The choices are endless and for a large part it's a matter of personal preference.
To narrow down the field, try this page: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare....
Here, you can select what you're looking for in a camera (including price) and a database will all the models that match your criteria.
That site also has full reviews for a lot of cameras. Another great site for reviews is here: http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_...
Once you've selected the camera you want, here are 3 great sites to buy stuff (reliable, good inventory, and competitive prices):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
http://www.beachcamera.com
http://www.adorama.com
Best wishes!

What are you going to use it for? I've found the Panasonic Lumix FZ7 to be a fantastic choice for me. It has 6 megapixels, 2.5" lcd, with a 12x optical zoom, auto and manual focus and image stabilization for as little as little as $322. All in a compact package that weighs only 10.9 oz. But that is based on my needs, you need to determine yours, look for a brand name with as many megapixels as possible, that feels good in your hands, make a short list then visit any and all the web sites in the 1st answer. One not listed that is my favorite is http://www.dcviews.com/ it offers details on all the cameras and has links to all the reviews available on the web for a particular camera. Its a nice 1 stop reference point. Take your time and enjoy the hunt.

I take pictures in low light a lot without using a flash so I wanted one that's good for low light photography. I'm extremely happy with the Fujifilm Finepix F10.

Well, according to the Consumer Reports 2006 Buying Guide the best Subcompact Camera (Fits in Purse or Pocket) is the Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH. Rating: Very Good and it is $450 bucks.

HOWEVER: it only has 3X Optical Zoom which isn't great.

The Best Super-Zoom Camera is the Panasonic Lumix DCM-FZ20S which is also $450 and is rated Excellent. It has 12X Optical Zoom which is incredible. Also it has a next shot delay of only 1 second which is great because there isn't all that waiting to take the next picture. Still the Canon next shot time is only 1 second higher at 2 seconds.

If neither of these sound good to you try looking up some ratings at www.cnet.com

Good Luck!