If Android, Google's open mobile platform, is to takeoff it will need a dizzying array of applications. To help spark the creative juices of the developer community, Google has allocated $10 million in cash prizes for a three-month contest.

"We've built some interesting applications for Android but the best applications are not here yet and that's because they're going to be written by developers," said Sergey Brin, co-founder and president of technology at Google. "We'd like to reward these developers and recognize them as much as possible."

Google announced Android earlier this month, settling rumors about the long-awaited Gphone. While many industry analysts see enormous potential behind Google's mobile strategy, all admit that Google will have to quickly seed Android with attractive applications that will entice users to turn their phones into Gphones.

Earlier this year, Facebook employed a similar strategy in the form of open submissions to encourage developers to create applications for its site. However, a massive influx of ideas forced the company to halt the program.