Windows Phone 7 Series won't have copy and paste
By Chris Ziegler 
posted March 16th 2010 5:37PM
posted March 16th 2010 5:37PM
Ready for another long, drawn-out copy and paste controversy to overtake your every waking moment for a year or two? Good: Microsoft just mentioned in a Q&A session here at MIX10 in no uncertain terms that clipboard operations won't be supported on Windows Phone 7 Series... so that's that. Kind of ironic considering that the WinMo of old has been enjoying the functionality since time immemorial, isn't it? Of course, anything is possible going forward -- they've said on several occasions in different talks and sessions this week that they're already looking at a number of enhancements that were scoped out of the initial release of the platform -- but for the phones you buy this holiday season, don't expect to be copying anything between apps.Update: We just super-double-ultra-plus-confirmed this with Microsoft -- Windows Phone 7 Series will not have copy and paste functionality. There is a data-detection service built into the text-handling API that will recognize phone numbers and addresses, but Microsoft says most users, including Office users, don't really need clipboard functionality. We... respectfully disagree? Sure, let's leave it at that.
There is no defence for this. All smartphones have some form of copy paste even if it is fiddly to use. Its not perfect but its there. I must admit I rarely use it on my smartphone. I would like to have it as an option, even if I don't use it, the rare times I do need it its handy to have.
But with this having the MS Portable Office or even access to the MS Cloud Office, Copy/Paste is a necessity of Word Processing. I really do hope MS see the error of their ways and change it. If not for release then in an update. How long did it take Apple to implement it though?! You would think MS would learn from Apples mistake.
Would it stop me getting a W7 Phone? Maybe not, but I would like to play with it first before making a decision.
This, and the tight hold on hardware specs, such as keeping the HD2 from running the OS, is the reason--this heavy-handed "we know what's best for YOU" BS (and they don't know me, or anyone, at ALL)--that will keep me and like-minded folks away from WS7 in droves. No, I'll not buy Apple, either. [Remember M$'s half-decade flop that was the HPC (Handheld PC), which rigidly dictated a form factor to HW develpers, Big Brother-style, thereby stifling innovation and keeping consumers from having features they wanted?]
OK, so I've only scanned through these posts, but does anyone have a reason WHY c+p is not inlcuded?
@Bruce Rillis
I've been wondering hte same thing. MS says that we don't need copy paste if we have quick links [w/e they're called], but no one is mentioning why they don't have it as an option. Copy paste isn't some amazingly hard feature to implement or anything... is it?
@Bruce Rillis
My inner paranoid suspects this is somehow intended to help lock you into their own programs.
they're probably afraid of an apple lawsuit. HA
Nintendo: People don't want to play online. (Friend codes)
Microsoft: People don't want to copy and paste. (Windows Mobile 7)
Apple: People don't want Flash. (iPortables)
Sony: People want to pay more for less. (PSPGo)
Me: F-U-ALL Executives making these stupid decisions on our behalf.
@HighestRanked2
So, what comments are you reading again? I read a lot of anger and disappointment, not a "free pass." You are so stuck on forcing people into your fan mode that you really can't see that most people just want a device with the options they want.
Let me clarify this for you: it is NOT about the brand! It's about form and function! WP7S is NOT going to get a free pass on this from most people, yourself included, because they SHOULDN'T.
(Of course, this could all be inaccurate. It's quite possible that the people involved with the building of the OS haven't fully decided what to do. We'll have to see what happens as launch day comes closer.)
deal breaker, sorry ms :(
WP7S has copy paste:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnrwE3_OuCE
WP7S has background multitasking of 3rd party apps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5G-Jj33XQI
@TareG
No. What that movie showed was the simulator, and an external keyboard. Nice try though.
And about multitasking, also no. If you can't run multiple apps at once, it's not multitasking, as all the Apple haters have been kind enough to point out over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
@Jack But it proves that the functionality and the clipboard are still there, and that the controls still support being copied to and from the clipboard. This makes hacking it in fairly simple. If MS dont include a way to access it directly from the phone; perhaps we could just register a global service for all hubs that sends cont+c and cont+v key press events.
Also the emulator is truly multitasking. I wasnt convinced with that youtube, as if it was using the built in media player (as most video players do), then it could simply be multitasking through that; but the following proves that it works for any app:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQwzgNVVlc
No multitasking and no C&P! Totally pathetic. #EPICFAIL
Here we go, Microsoft "stealing" Apple's "features" again! ;-)
Will WP7 make phone calls?
Will this increase the performance?