I haven't been around in a while, but I thought I'd point out a new online broker called Sogo Invest. A guy at TheCornerOffice****.com got an interview with the President, and he seems like he's trying to attract the new investor by keeping his platform really simple.
Probably not for everyone, but hey, it might be worth taking advantage of $3 commissions...
They've also got automatic investing, and you can buy fractional shares.