Not so bad
This article is a little over the top. HTC Sense and MotoBlur are replacements of the Android shell, not of the underlying GUI (which can still only be skinned). If you are writing a bog standard app, it is irrelevant how it gets launched. What you are most concerned about is the fragmentation of Android SDK versions, plus screen size variations and differences in hardware and input capabilities. The shell should, and currently does, make little difference.
Granted, if you are writing shell extensions (i.e. widgets, wallpapers, etc.) then you are going to want to write to a single spec and you may end up with fragmentation if you relay on features of a particular shell that isn't in core Android. I believe this is what Google is trying to achieve by making sure manufacturers can still replace the shell while keeping an API so that those new shells can still host developer shell add-ons. That is nothing like Apple's control-freakery. And remember, Apple barely lets you extend the shell anyway (you can put badges on your app icon - that's it).
So calm down.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
