I want to learn to play the keyboard...

I think the best thing for you to do is write a list of what you want in a keyboard, I did this with my camera, then with your list go to a good keyboard outlet and get a good salesperson to point out he has to offer that fits your list, goodluck I hope you get your keyboard and have lots of fun with it....

I have no talent when it comes to reading the muscial notes, but I'm really great about playing music by ear. I'm sure you've seen the keyboards that have a "tutor" section on it where it not only displays the notes, but a key lights up to show you which one it is...Sharper Image has one. I'd suggest that one because you can learn much better with it. I'm thinking of getting that one for my kids as they are learning how to play a keyboard at their middle school.

There's a book called "Piano For Dummies" I've been using that to teach my 5-year-old how to play my keyboard and it's working well.

It depends on what you want. Do you want good synth sounds or good acoustic sounds? I think Korg makes some great synth sounds, but it's not so great in imitating a real instrument. Roland has always been one of the best for quality acoustic reproduction. Then there are other qualities that come into play, like recording capabilities, polyphony (how many sounds it can emit at once), number of keys, weight of the keys...the list goes on. If you want to be a pianist, I suggest you invest in something like a digital piano that has 88 weighted, hammer-action keys. Clavinovas are really good, but expect to pay a pretty penny for one of those. If you just want to learn the basics, you might not need all that. If you want a decent deal on quality sounds and extra features at a relatively low cost, I would recommend a Casio or Yamaha with at least a floppy disk drive. These generally cost $350 or more, but tend to pack enough bells and whistles to keep you entertained for a good while.