I need to buy someone a camera. < $100 is fine. Perhaps they are all the same in that price point but I'll take recommendations. Simplicity is the most important feature. Minimal buttons, auto everything.
Just goto to Target or Walmart for something like that. Or even go online for those stores since they have a larger selection. You're pretty much right that they'll all be the same at that pricepoint. It's pretty much widely accepted that Nikon and Canon are your best bets. But at less than $100, I'd think Olympus, Fujifilm, etc would do you fine too. I got my little cousin a cheap $80 Nikon camera from Target online for her 16th bday.
my mom got a 89 dollar sanyo 14 megapixel camera from walmart for christmas. It was a great deal at the time (on sale).