Montana, Google, and Android

Congratulations, Jeffrey Sharkey!

You put your brain to work and it paid off!

With a 2008 master's degree in computer science from Montana State University in your hand what are you going to do next?

Right...win a $275,000 cash prize from Googleland!

When Google announced a design contest for their new cell phone operating system, Android, Jeffrey Sharkey heard the call.

Creating a system that uses a cell phone to read a product's bar code and then using the phone's Internet connection to read reviews, prices, product availability, and other information on the Web, Sharkey developed his entry, Compare Everywhere.

Compare Everywhere earned Sharkey a place in the top 50 out of approximately 1,800 applicants. With the top 50 placement, Sharkey was given $25,000 and the summer of 2008 to refine his entry. In August, Compare Everywhere was one of the final 10 entries to earn the top prizes in the Google contest.

Way to go, Jeffrey!

And people think Montana is just about mountains and cowboys.