MagicPad: How to Copy and Paste on an Apple iPhone

Have you ever wanted to copy and paste something on your Apple iPhone? The iPhone has been called many things, including the "Jesus phone." For such a revolutionary, touch-screen cell phone/PDA, you would think that it would be able to do simple keyboard tasks like copying and pasting from an email or webpage.

Unfortunately, the Apple iPhone can't copy and paste.

This has been a cause of complaint for Apple iPhone users since the phone first came out. Now that the iPhone is in its second generation (confusingly called the iPhone 3G due to its 3G network capabilities), Apple still hasn't offered a way to copy and paste text on the iPhone.

But that is all changing, but not because of any software or program changes from Apple itself.

Software maker Proximi is launching MagicPad. MagicPad is an amped-up version of the Apple iPhone's native notes software. However, unlike notes, Proximi's MagicPad lets you select, copy and paste text. It even lets you change fonts and colors.

When you install MagicPad onto your Apple iPhone, a small software toolbar appears at the tops of your iPhone screen, letting you copy and paste text. Once installed, simply drag your finger over the text that you want to copy and let MagicPad do the work.

MagicPad will copy the text you've selected on the iPhone screen to its memory. You can then choose to save the copied text, or paste it.

If anything, Proximi's software is simply a makeshift band-aid to what is essentially a missing piece in Apple's software puzzle. Users continue to clamor for native support of copying and pasting within the iPhone. Such a feature makes a lot of sense considering the iPhone's unique touch screen and virtual keyboard.

Unfortunately, MagicPad does not let you paste into every application. Thus, this is a satisfactory, but temporary, solution to the copy/past dilemma facing iPhone users.

A lot of Apple's promises regarding the iPhone revolve around its business and personal use, such as reading and sending emails, surfing the web using a full-fledged Internet browser, etc. Users want to be able to copy and paste text that they find, as they do on their regular computer.

Proximi's MagicPad lets them do this, but its simply a workaround. If Apple wants the iPhone's market to continue to grow among choice demographics, such as businessmen and high-end consumers, it will need to satisfy their productivity demands and allow them to copy and paste inside the iPhone.