Replying to Looking to buy my first camera

I've been thinking about this for a while, and I finally decided that I would like to buy a DSLR. I have very limited knowledge of how to operate one (I have used friends' before, but nothing major).

After a bit of research, I have narrowed it down to the Canon T2i and the Nikon D5000. I will be using this camera almost exclusively for photography. If anyone would like to give their opinions on the cameras that I'm thinking about or possibly recommend an alternative in the same price range, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.