Hey Jason
2 cents worth from another newbie:
Playing along with some kind of rhythm is hugely important and should be at the top of every newbies list (right after "get a guitar"). I wish I would have figured that out and a way to do it from the beginning.
Playing an electric guitar that sounds and behaves like one is also important for learning technique type things, and is a great motivator. The cool thing about modelers is it seems like most every device at every price point has it's positive reviews, and there are many device types and methods to choose from. So there is something out there for everybody. Modeling ROCKS!
Having said that, and researching these things for months, I must agree with SS that the PODxt is at the top of the heap for those whose situation it fits. Portable, usable at home or live, connects to anything, USB and internal sound card/driver for computer/recording (no latency, no sound card issues), thousands of pre-programmed tones just a few clicks away, has a simple drum pattern function (upgradeable), comes with software for automatic updates, importing backing tacks to play along with, tone editing, and all this interfaces with computer based recording programs. I could go on, but in the couple of months I have had one, I have yet to create any tones yet have a few hundred killer ones stored. Have yet to scratch the surface and have not plugged into my amp since I got it.
Yea, the $299 price tag may be a bit steep, but it is worth it (IMHO). 3 weeks on ebay revealed used ones going for well over $200 and I did find new ones as low as $258/$265 shipped (2 factory auth dealer/stores). Funny, cause used ones were going for close to the same.
Whatever you decide, if you have a Guitar Center store you can get to, consider visiting them, and then work them down on their price. I have no idea if this the same at every one, but the GC near me wheels and deals like there is no tomorrow. I got the Podxt for $200 out the door and similar deals on everything else I bought there, which is almost everything I own.
Good luck on your quest,
Hog
"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid." - Frank Zappa
Yamaha G240
Epi Dot Deluxe, Squier '51, G&L S-500
Vox AD30VT, PODxt