I gave up on the super compacts after I got my iphone4s. That is my pocket camera. Of course, some of the newer entries to the market are amazing.
I have a Sony hx20v...20x zoom! Great for concerts and stuff. Fits in a pocket or coat jacket, but will leave an unsightly bulge.
I have a Sony hx200V...30x zoom! Great for birds. This is a bridge camera that feels like a dSLR (which I have never owned). It lightweight but will not fit in a pocket. It is NOT for pixelpeepers and the photos cannot stand much cropping, so you have to compose your shot in camera. It has a tiny sensor and lots of pixels (like 18Mp).
I have a Canon SX50....50X optical zoom. Greater for birds. This is a bridge like the hx200v with much the same features, pros and cons. It has a tiny sensor and lots of pixels, but not as many as the sony. Note: this has the equivalent of a 1200mm lens, in 35m terms. Amazing zoom. This would be super expensive and super large in the dSLR world. Of course, you get what you pay for, but this is suitable for the non-pro, which would be me!
I have a Sony Nex 6...with a 16-50mm power zoom and a 55-210mm zoom lens. This is a mirrorless camera that is much smaller than a dSLR but has a APS-C sensor, the same as many, but not all, dSLRs. What I like about the Nex system is if you buy a small adapter you can use both Canon and Nikon glass. I'm even using the PK lens from my college camera I bought in the early 80s. Not so good for birds but small enough to go on vaca with and to do serious shooting (not that the others can't be used for that too).
Those bridge cameras are super fun, though. You can do landscapes, people, macro (flowers and insects), sports, wildlife, night, stars, moon, HDR, in one camera. With 24-1200mm equivalent range, they are neato! You just have to be willing to give up pocket-ability. And you give up pixel peeping (I feature I enjoy).
I will probably sell one of the superzooms, but they do have some different features that make the decision harder than one might think. For example, the Sony has GPS and higher-resolution EVF and LCD that the canon doesn't have, but the canon has 50X. And if I put a teleconverter on it, it can do more (assuming the weight won't be a problem). Decisions, decisions.