A plain point and shoot (from hereon referred to as 'PS') would do good. Something around the $150-200 range would be suitable for just taking nice images.
If you have money to spend, a 'pro-sumer' camera like what squarebox recommended would do even better and probably have a reasonable amount of control, they however can top out at around $300-400 for a mid tier one.
Past that are entry level DSLRs and high tier consumer cameras in the $500+ range.
A DSLR is a good investment if you know you have the use for it and can stomach the money for the camera and lenses. I've had a Canon 450D for over 3 years and it's still a champ for what I use it for. Obviously the best of the choices if money doesn't matter, but it requires a high learning curve to get quality images.
For what you want, a simple PS camera will cut it. I'd suggest getting a small tripod for it as well. Getting a PS with manual controls would also allow for greater freedom when composing shots and the like.
However, before you decide spending a lot of money, do these things to try and see if you can get a decent photo:-
Add more light. This will allow for the sensor to use a lower ISO speed, reducing the grain in the image.
-Second to adding more light, would be to
practice holding it steady. Those who've done rifle shooting would know this trick: take 3 slow deep breaths, the first 2 full, the last one let it half way out and hold it. Keep the camera as steady as possible in your hands, and move your finger slowly when you capture the image. This will remove much of the motion blur you get in images.
-
If it won't focus, move away until it will. You can crop the image later, there is virtually no use in having 8 megapickles in a phone camera, but you might as well use that to your advantage.
This is a rushed comparison shot I took about a year ago with my 450D (top) and my Galaxy Note (bottom). While not perfect, lots of light and holding it dead can still produce a damn good image.
Always remember, a better camera won't always turn out better images unless you know how to take a steady image in the first place.
It's like giving a Lambo to a kid who just got their license. They won't magically drive better with one.
