People who count themselves as… ahem, “adult entertainment” aficionados (i.e., porno fiends), might find just what they’re looking for in the Android platform.

Turns out, Google’s mobile OS lets users download apps featuring adult material, and MiKandi, a third-party app developer, has already announced it will release several racy apps for Android via its upcoming mobile app store dedicated to adult content. (Whoa. Those infamous Verizon iDon’t commercials touted a lot of Droid features the iPhone doesn’t have, but it never mentioned pornography.) The revelation has pundits wondering whether this distinguishing characteristic will help the hot Android device tackle the Apple smartphone, which bans X-rated content from its App Store.

The Moto Droid has definitely grabbed some marketshare, but hasn’t quite gotten the numbers it needs yet to take down the iPhone. And now the experts are split on whether this could offer the added boost needed to tip the scales.

Mike Schuster at Minyanville doesn’t think so. He believes that adult apps like MiKandi’s won’t “level the playing field,” especially since there are already streaming sites accessible for free. So, he says, it’s the quality of "the device itself" that matters.

But Brian Heater at PC Mag isn’t so sure about that. Never "underestimate the importance of porn," he says. He refers back to the ’80s, when the adult industry influenced VHS’ predominance over Betamax. (Some believe that Betamax-maker Sony’s refusal to play ball with the adult industry ended up with  many video stores leaning toward VHS.) VHS emerged as the major format, and that ruled the home electronics scene prior to DVDs and digital media. In many ways, adult content still continues to be an strong influencer in new technology, he says, so Apple might want to reconsider its "stringent vetting" of its apps before Android can get a major foothold.

NBC Washington’s Jere Hester doesn’t like the idea of porn apps on cell phones at all and agrees with Apple's stance of blocking them. Not that he has a problem with people doing what they want behind closed doors, but what mobile users do is often out there in public (you know, because they’re mobile and all): When you're in public, he says, please "keep your Droid in your pants."

Via: Mashable, Minyanville, PC Mag, NBC Washington