The Channel Wire

July 29, 2008

One lingering complaint about the iPhone has been its inability to perform a very basic function: cut and paste. Computer users have been selecting, copying or cutting text and pasting it into different applications or windows since the 80s. But, inexplicably, the iPhone -- the phone to reinvent all phones -- doesn't have that basic ability. But now software creator Proxi has introduced a slick little application called MagicPad that cuts and pastes.

MagicPad isn't the ideal cut and paste function that most iPhone users are hoping for, but it is at least a start. The application is an improved version of "Notes," and features rich text editing. Using the application allows iPhone users to alter font size, type and color.

Currently, MagicPad offers six different font styles, five different sizes, eight colors and allows for underlining, strikethrough, bold and italics -- in addition to cut and paste functionality.

Unfortunately, the application still doesn't allow for text that has been cut to be copied into different applications. That means you can't cut text from an email client to a Web browser.

Using MagicPad on the iPhone isn't that difficult. Text is highlighted as users drag their finger over the portion they want to cut. Once the text is selected, users can use the rich text options to alter the text " change the color, make it bigger or add emphasis, for example. Once that's finished, the text can be pasted into other notes using the MagicPad application.

To see a video of MagicPad in action, head over to Apple iPhone Apps to see a full demo.