Hi there, Losingit! I can highly recommend the Omron HJ-112. I got it last week and am absolutely loving it! Even started a discussion about it here ---->
I Love My New Pedometer! .
As far as how many steps to take, I'm trying to go for the Challenge (there's a thread about it here ---->
Week Three -- Steppin' Up To Fitness Challenge ). IIRC that's also the President's Challenge, 10,000 steps a day.
So far, I've only gone over 10k once, but I'm hoping to see more and more 10K days as time goes on.
Whatever you decide, good luck and have fun!