i am looking for a new affordible digital camra any help on what brand to get.

We have a Canon Powershot SD600, it is old now but a good and affordable newer version is the SD1100. It is image stabilized and @ 8.1 MP should serve you well. They are around 200 USD online, where you should buy one-best buy or another retailer will get about a $50 or so premium out of you for the same device.

i am using a powershot sd 1000 (7.1 mp)

in the regular consumer market cameras and hobbyist DSLR's - there is so little difference aside from the odd gimmicks these days the choice usually just comes down to brand loyalty or which you like the look of best. even in prosumer cameras - the differences are very slight. if you get a camera from Fuji, Canon, Nikon or a.n.other brand such as Sony or Olympus you wouldn't be sorry with the choice at all

I think Phil's right, there is often little real difference. You didn't say if you were after a compact camera or a digital SLR. Once you've made that choice Phil's advice is very sound.

I'm gonna guess that new affordable camera means non-dslr! My recommendation is to have a couple of different types memory cards(or at least an SD card) with you when you go visiting a store and then slip one into a camera, take a few trial shots and then move on to another desired camera. When you have completed the test shooting, go home and view the results. This is my method of camera shopping. I use my photos and my eyes to tell me what I like. This method also gives you the opportunity to feel the camera in your hands.
Use sites like www.dpreview.com and others to get third party info. When I was trying to decide... the third party advice had me interested in either a Canon XSi or a Nikon D90. After holding the two cameras in my hands... I decided that Canon's plastic body was much much lighter than Nikon's metal & plastic body. So Canon won out for me just because of this issue. As far as a non-dslr camera goes... I can never hold back from recommending a Canon SD950 IS. My wife is happy with its small size. I am happy with the quality of picture's it takes. And I am blown away with the quality of video it records. It is just short of HD quality. I am not up on the prices... I bought it a year ago, but I paid about $375 U.S., so I expect that it is less today. Do not ignore this camera if it is something like that for which you are searching!
Happy hunting! And remember... rarely can we have everything! Otherwise I would have probably bought a $5000+ camera kit rather than a $1000 kit, and still be wanting more! The first paragraph contains my best advice (and I don't know much!) :o)