Neither look all that great, to be honest. You most likely would not need a suspension fork--they add weight to the bike and if you're just riding on the road, a suspension fork wouldn't be necessary.

In the same price ballpark is this Gravity hybrid on BikesDirect:
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/.../avenue_fb.htm

It has an adjustable stem so if you're concerned about having a more upright riding position, this will help. It has better components than the other bikes ($300 for a bike with a Sora rear derailleur is a great deal). One downside that I'll admit is that it comes with 28cm tires, which may be more skinny than a new rider would want, and it doesn't look like there's that much clearance for wider tires (maybe 32cm at the most).

I don't think it's as good as the Gravity, but this GT Traffic 4.0 is the same price and still seems like it would be a step above the other two, but with wider tires than the Gravity.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gt/gt_traffic_4.htm