stepchildusmc

forget the idiots..you knocked on the right door. welcome to the beginning of your guitar life newb. first things first... did you read the sticky at the top of the page about how to buy a guitar? it's an excellent guide as to what to look for. i do disagree with you about online stores. if you aren't sure what your looking for, only an experienced salesperson can effectively help you( keyword is "experienced") if you have a friend that plays guitar, you should take them shopping with you( actually, for you)
with the budget that you have in mind you should easily find something that will last you years of playing time before needing an upgrade. there are so many variables in purchasing a new guitar... cutaway/non-cutaway( really handy if it has one) music style preferred, geographic location.... very long list.
most here will tell you to buy what they have first and another choice as a second. from what i see, usually the Seagull S6 or Yamaha's FG series is everyone's second( which actually should make them first).
i do hope you stick with it, its very frustrating for the first few weeks but don't worry about having to ingest it all in at once...we have our own language so to speak and it looks intimidating from the outside... ever meet someone that learned to speak fluent russian in a month?