Well, I'll start off by saying that tablets don't necessarily make you a better artist-- a lot of people get tablets just because they think they're terrible with a mouse, but in reality, it's all about practice. I've seen a lot of people who've used a mouse really well in art.
Not saying tablets are bad, either - I love my tablet to death. They definitely take some time to get used to, though, and it's still sorta different from drawing on paper.
As far as tablet suggestions go, though, I recommend the
Wacom Bamboo. It's cheap, but works very nice. I've had mine for a couple years and it hasn't crapped out on me very much, if at all.
