Not much of either

Thanks for the response. My photography experience is limited to the cheap 35mm point and shoots everyone has used at one time or another, and some limited digital work (I can take a picture but have no clue about all the settings). As for the budget, well I'm not going to spend over $300 on anything. I'd prefer to keep it under $150-$200 but I realize that the less expensive cameras are not going to perform like the DSLRs.
What attracted me to the 1100 is the price (under $150) and the 4x zoom and 12 mp. Though I seem to recall that for most photography 8 mp would be sufficient. If I a reading you correctly, the 1100 would be a decent enough starter camera but would have its shortcomings. In reading reviews of the 1100 I've come across something that concerns me and that is the battery life. Seems half the reviews out there say it eats batteries (some claim they die after 15 pictures) but others swear it can be overcome by leaving the display turned off and using the viewfinder or switching to rechargables.
I do some more looking around, the price sounds too good to pass up but in the long run it may be better to spend a little more on something else.