Anti-Shake Technology

No the system in Minolta/Sony's and Pentax's dSLRs is a mechanical one; the sensor is physically moved. With Canon and Nikon the system is in the lens instead of the body/sensor. Either way there is no cropping.

yes, the Shake Reduction (SR) system that pentax uses in the K100D and the K10D use gyroscopes to detect movement on the X and Y axis and compensate by moving the sensor.
 
If so IMO shake reduction technology should not be the deciding factor.

Perhaps not THE deciding factor, but at least one of the factors? Since I go to concerts a lot and want to get quality pictures (they usually don't allow cameras) so I need something that's not too big but can still handle low-light situation pretty well. I have a Canon 30D and brought it in the venue once but got asked to leave because they don't allow photographing. I'm not sure what other factors I should consider when purchasing a new "portable" digi cam.
 
Ah... well if you have a 30D, the best thing you could do for low-light photography is to use a 50mm f/1.8, maybe even a f/1.4 if your budget allows. No compact point-&-shoot model, with or without 'anti-shake' systems, is going to produce comparable results to a dSLR and fast lens when it comes to shooting handheld in very low available light. They all have relatively slow lenses and poor performance at higher sensitivity settings. So where possible, try to get permission to use the 30D (and if not then maybe just try to sneak it in and try not to get caught!) If you really have no choice but to use a compact fixed-lens model then try to rest it against something when shooting; some of the 'anti-shake' systems might help a little but I suspect it will still be a bit hit-and-miss. Personally I don't consider any compact models really suitable for that kind of situation so when I can't take the dSLR I use a film camera with 3200 ISO film, but obviously that isn't for everyone.
 
There are 2 types of IS (as far as Canon is concerned)
Type 1 is for handheld shots in lower light. This type will not improve those shots where panning is used.
Type II is for panning. This type of WILL improve panning shots.

I used a Canon 75-300 IS lens and found the IS to be pretty good but the aperture on that particular lens was 3.5-5.6 (if i remember correctly) and cost me around £300. I found that the quality of image i got from it was way below what my other lenses could give me. But then my other lenses are L quality so it's reasonable to expect them to be better.
I sold the IS lens because i rarely used.
I bought it from EBay (hong kong) and sold it about a year later in the UK. I only lost around £20 on the lens so i can't complain!!!
 
I assumed we were talking about IS/VR or other shake control systems in SLRs bodies/lenses too but apparently the OP meant in point-&-shoots.
 

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