Mini-Porn Could Be Mega-Business

"I can't see anybody wanting to watch while they're sitting at the airport," Whittington said. "I just don't see how it's going to be all that popular."

Proponents argue that the anonymity and privacy offered by a mobile gadget could be a major selling point.

Sex columnist Regina Lynn, who writes for Wired.com, thinks cell phones and iPods could find a niche among viewers who are reluctant to download X-rated video clips on their desktop or laptop computer's hard drive.

"When I first heard about this, I thought it was a novelty, but I've changed my mind," she said. "I think that the porn industry will probably be pretty quick to figure out what works and sells for mobile devices."

Few mobile devices are hotter than Apple's new iPod, of course, so entrepreneurs are trying especially hard to find a way to associate their products with the phenomenally selling product.

The founders of one explicit site said they bought their "pod"-related domain name the same day Apple Chairman Steve Jobs took the stage in San Jose and introduced the video iPod to the world. The site offers adult films specially made for the device, shot from the point of view of the male actor.

Last week, gay porn media company Lucas Entertainment Inc. announced that it would make trailers for its films available on the iPod. Founder Michael Lucas, who also acts in his company's films, said he sees the move as a key way to build awareness of his company's products in the gay community -- a community that especially prizes the iPod.

"I don't have one gay friend who would not have the new iPod," he said. "Gay people are much more technologically advanced."

A still-open question for the adult entertainment business is whether gadget makers and cell phone carriers will help or stand in the way of their business plans.

Steven Hirsch, chief executive at adult media company Vivid Entertainment Group, said mobile porn has not sparked as a business in the United States yet because carriers have not figured out a reliable way to make sure only adults are able to view explicit content. He said he expects that situation to change in the next year.

"I don't think the carriers see themselves as censors," said Hirsch, whose roster of porn stars includes big names such as Jenna Jameson. "I think they see themselves as content providers. I don't see why they'd be opposed to it."

Hirsch said he has had productive chats on the matter with carriers in the United States, but he declined to identify them.

A spokeswoman for Sprint Nextel Corp. said the carrier does not have plans for any content racier than what is on prime-time television. A spokeswoman for Virgin Mobile USA LLC said the company has no such plans and declined further comment.

Kaplan, the founder of Xobile, said he assumes cell phone companies will not want to associate with the sort of hard-core titles his business offers. But with Web-enabled phones becoming more prevalent, he said, Xobile does not need to cut a deal with a carrier. Videos can go straight to the consumer via the Internet.

ITunes has so far resisted putting SuicideGirls' adult videos on its site, and Apple declined to comment on the topic.

But a non-video Suicide Girls "podcast," or Internet radio show, is regularly one of the most popular downloads on the iTunes site, beating out rival podcasts such as a movie chat show with critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper.