Is there something similar in android to the iOS developer program from Apple?

Question

All,

I am looking at building a proprietary app for all platforms. One of the things I found with apple was they have a developer program which we can use to build, debug, distribute and update apps without putting it out on the store. This seems pretty cool even though it comes at a cost ($299/year).

Is there something similar for android where we can update and distribute apps for android without having to go through the play store? I see my phone has an option to install third party apps but there is also a restriction from my carrier (ATT/USA) that totally make it useless because i cannot install apps from outside the play store.

PS: please suggest the appropriate tags for this question too. I am not sure if the current tags are appropriate

Answer 1

Google offers an excellent developer program - and it is free!

http://developer.android.com/index.html

They offer GUI based editors for free - Studio and Eclipse based - Studio is new and simple - but Eclipse is mature and if you already know it a popular choice.