Hi Ahmike,
first thing's first, i got an Alpha A100 to begin with. Rather affordable and i got it at a good price (really good price) with a 50 f1.4 and 2 other lenses including the kit.
Also the Super Steady Shot features really help when you are taking pictures in a moderately dim light. Picture Quality wise, i adjust my saturation/contrast/sharpness on my camera so i get what i want. and normally i do get what i want. All those years of wondering how ppl take such nicely saturated pictures and contrasting pictures, i have it in the palm of my hand.
Why the SONY? it looks good, wouldn't you agree? and it works good too.
the thing i like about the Alpha A100 is how it ergonomically fits to the palms of my hand, i have big hands by the way. Another thing i like about the Camera was it has a built in CCD Censor cleaner, or something like that which helps clean the censor when needed.
No doubt Nikon and Canon are the best buys in the market when it comes to photography, but buying the best camera wont necessarily get you the best pictures at all.
Overall the A100 is promising, and a great camera to begin with especially when you are new into the DSLR world.
Now coming to the A700, ever since i got the A100 i've been covering events. Weddings/concerts etc etc. So i knew, i needed a fast camera. If i had known that the A700 was coming out i wouldn't have gotten the A100 and just wait for a few more months, but then again i got a good deal on the camera.
The A700 marks a tremendous improvement to the Alpha series in terms of Noise levels at high ISO. If you read the reviews done by international sites, this baby is contending against some of the top models in the market. and already beating them in some aspects (not all)
One words explains this camera, SPEED. Its super fast and built tough. well it should be since its a semi pro DSLR. 12.2 megapixels woot!
So summing up why i got the A700
Speed
improved SSS
Design
Ergonomically accommodating
Low noise levels at high ISO Sensitivity
3.5 inch screen
User Friendly
Picture Quality (of course, depending on the lenses you use)
so get yours today!

Sony should pay you for advertising for them.. Hahaha.. they lack of advertising thats why is not well-known like canon..They need more advertisement, Promotion, roadshow etc.. and Alpha Guy like to promote their products..
Anyway.. just to come in to drop a word... Need to sleep now.. is 3am and i just back from office... Really hoping i can be released during weekend to go get my Alpha