Net task manager waves cash at devs

New York-based outfit Producteev has opened up an API for its cross-platform task management service, and to spark some interest among coders, the company has kicked off a developer challenge throwdown, offering cash prizes to anyone who can impress its panel of application judges.

Producteev helps individuals and groups manage a sea of tasks by connecting various communication tools into a central web service. You can set up task lists on the service itself, or send tasks to the service via email, IM, and other means. The service then sends alerts back out to the user when tasks need to be completed.

These alerts might arrive via email, IM, a calendar service, or other applicatinon.

With its open API, the company hopes to encourage developers to plug the service into all sorts of new tools, such as a CMS engine, an invoicing app, or a workflow app. Producteev has already used the API to build an iPhone application for the service, plus a Google desktop gadget that lets users manage tasks from Gmail.

Producteev co-founder and CEO Ilan Abehassera tells The Reg that the company intends to promote third-party applications from a central webpage.

The developer contest will award $2,500 to the best application as determined by a team of judges, and the runner-up will receive $1,000. Applications must be submitted by 12am Pacific time on August 15, 2010. You can learn more here. ®