New to Android before I port my application to this platform I wanted to know the lay of the land as far as restricted API’s by each carrier.
With J2ME (Nextel aside) there was very little you could do (except pony up some serious cash) to get the carrier to allow you to access restricted API’s.
With Blackberry things got much better, other than Verizon locking down GPS, you pay the developer fee of $99 and you can sign your apps.
Now Android, do we have free reign, or are the handcuffs put on us here????
There are no restrictions with carriers in Android platform. You can use the functionality provided by Android SDK in all phones available. You only need to take care of the version of the OS each device is based on.
To upload an application in the Android Maeket you need to register as a developer. You pay a small one-time amount for this. You don’t need a paid certificate to sign your application. However, there are some locations that you are only allowed to upload free applications. See this question for details.