Developer nails copy/paste with upcoming iPhone app

If you're one of the many waiting for Apple to get its act together and offer a copy/paste feature on the iPhone, there's a promising development called MagicPad from software creator Proximi. It's an application similar to the notes tool that ships with the iPhone. The big difference is that it's got support for multiple fonts; rich text elements like underlining, italics, and strikethroughs; and the much-wanted copy/paste.

It manages to do all this by adding a small toolbar over the iPhone's onscreen keyboard. Using the small loop magnifier you can highlight strings of text, then copy them into a virtual clipboard. From there it can be pasted into other notes, then sent off. Unfortunately you can't carry the clipboard to other applications, which is what most people are hoping Apple will provide.

Posted after the break is a video of the yet-to-be-released application in action, which was made by AppleiPhoneNotes.com. One thing that might keep MagicPad from making it onto the device is if it does not meet Apple's stringent human interface guidelines, which protect things like the keyboard configuration to keep the end user from getting confused.

(Via Macrumors)

Write notes, and use rich text elements including copy and paste, with MagicPad.

(Credit: Proximi)

First Look - MagicPad from Apple iPhone Apps on Vimeo.

[wusupjohn]

This app only puts a band-aid on the problem of copy and paste on the Iphone. The real solution requires apple to apply this software (or similar software) to all typing. I know the only times I need copy/paste is when I need to copy a web address or text from the internet.

[alchemistmuffin]

One thing I might know why Apple won't let copy and paste...

I think it's a huge battery hog... since Copy and paste stores the copied text into memory, and memory uses a lot of power, Apple might consider it a battery hog...

[erwin.fischer]

For me, this is a big deal, and definately needs to be integrated for all apps to use. I'm testing the iPhone for business usage, >100 emails/day, and use copy/paste between different notes apps and emails, email to email, etc - very restrictive to not have it.

In a similar vein, Apple needs to enable alternate keyboard methods - especially the fabulous method designed/used in WritingPad. Makes entry - particularly 1-thumb entry, much more palatable.

[GreenAlienUK]

For it to be a polished feature I would expect to use the magnifying glass for both positioning the cursor initially and then also highlighting the text. In that video I only noticed the magnifying glass being used while highlighting the text and not for the initial placement of the cursor - that correct? I think two forms of gesture would be the most natural way of doing this.

This is what I posted on Digg for one way I imagine the feature being implemented on the iPhone...

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You press and hold to bring up the magnifying glass, reposition the cursor as needed, then you apply a second finger (the magnifying glass remains shown) and reposition the cursor to highlight the text. When you release, the magnifying glass goes away and the selected text is copied to the clipboard.

To paste, press and hold with two fingers from the outset, up pops the magnifying glass, reposition the cursor as needed, then release.

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With that implementation there would be no extra UI clutter, no need to alter the design visually of current apps, and copy/pasting is much quicker - no need to touch button options or bring up the magnifying glass multiple times.

[whythee]

Apple fanatics need to stop buying IPhones until Apple provides this most basic of features. It is just ridiculous that people put up with crap like this from Apple.

[jake49]

amen

[DarkHawke]

I second that emotion! The iPhone is sexycool in so many ways, but the Jobs "my-way-or-the-highway" philosophy that pervades Apple is preventing them from being responsive to the needs of the REAL number one: the customer. I have the technolust for this device, but I'll get one only AFTER they start letting the user control how it works.


So how are them new jailbreaks workin'? ;)