What to Look for When Buying Flat-Panel Displays

Adam Wiggins asks: "After seeing the gorgeous plasma flat-panel montitors in the local taco shop night after night, I've decided it's time to treat myself to a nice flatscreen monitor. However, I looked at a couple at Fry's, and was unimpressed. The refresh rate seems slow, and the pixels didn't seem as sharp as they should be. Currently I'm using a 21" which does 75 hz at 1280x1024, so if I do buy a flat screen I want it to be really nice. However, the few reviews and flat panel overview articles I've found online don't seem to address the issues of refresh speed, sharpness, or brightness at all. Can anyone recommend a buying guide, or better yet tell me about your own flat panel display that you are happy with? "