Microsoft has started pushing out the first major update for Windows Phone 7. This follows a smaller update a few weeks ago which was designed simply to pave the way for this release. The update, which is codenamed “NoDo” bring s a number of new features to the mobile operating system, including:

• Support for Copy and Paste
• Faster app launching and resuming
• Improved search in the Windows Phone Marketplace
• Better synchronization with Facebook accounts

The NoDo update also brings improvements for Outlook, text messaging, camera functions, and improved Bluetooth audio performance.

Users who haven’t yet received a notification that an update is available can check for updates by going to the App list on their phones, tapping Settings, and then Phone updates. You’ll need to connect your phone to a PC running the Zune Desktop software or a Mac running the Windows Phone Connector app in order to apply the NoDo update.

via WinRumors

Microsoft has been promising to add support for a system-wide copy & paste feature for Windows Phone 7 since before the operating system even launched. Now it looks like we’re one major step closer. Microsoft’s Brandon Watson says that a the updated Windows Phone Developer Tools rolling out today include copy & paste as well as performance improvements.

The developer tools go out to software developers so that they can test their apps before features go live for the general public. But if Microsoft is sending out the update to developers, it’s a pretty good sign that the new features will soon be available for Windows Phone 7 users as well.

via CNET

Microsoft has been promising to add support for copy and paste to Windows Phone 7 since before the operating system was even officially launched. Now the company is explaining how the new feature will work, as well as some other improvements that are in store for the mobile OS.

Copy and paste functionality will work system-wide, allowing you to copy text from a web page, for instance, and paste it into an email or text message. You’ll be able to select text by tapping a word and sliding your finger if you want to add more words before hitting the copy button.

Microsoft says a software update will also reduce the time it takes to launch or resume applications and the ability to search for just games or apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

There’s no official word on when these updates will be available, but it sounds like we might not have to wait much longer.

via SlashGear

The good news is that Microsoft is reportedly beginning to roll out a Windows Phone 7 update that brings support for copy and paste to the fledgling mobile operating system. The bad news is you probably can’t have the feature yet.

According to WP Central, the update is initially only showing p on some developer phones. If you don’t have a developer account or a supported phone, you probably won’t get the update until it’s made available to the wider public.

For the technically-minded, the update changes the build number from 7.0.7338 to 7.0.7004.0.

You can check out a video of the new copy and paste function at WP Central. Just don’t expect anything too exciting. After all, we’re talking about a feature that’s been available for desktop computers for decades, and on Windows CE devices for pretty much as long as there have been Windows CE/Pocket PC, and Windows Mobile devices. Still, I suppose it’s nice to see that you can copy text from a web site and paste it into an email window.

Unlike some mobile operating systems, Google Android has featured a copy and paste function from the get go, allowing you to copy and paste text into an email, search box, or other area… sometimes.

The built in copy and paste feature works reasonably well, but it doesn’t always let you copy text from one app and paste it in another. And selecting text could certainly be easier.

Scan to download

Enter Copy Paste It, a third party application that makes it easy to copy and paste text between apps. What’s more, you can use this app to copy text from an image. That’s because essentially what Copy Paste It does is take a snapshot of a portion of your screen and use image recognition software to convert what it sees into text.

The full app costs $3.99 and only works on rooted Android devices. There’s also a free trial version available which lets you copy and pate 10 times.

If you’ve already rooted your phone, Copy Paste It will add an icon to the notification bar. Just drag down the notification bar and select Copy Paste It when you want to select text and a box will pop up on your screen which you can move around to select the text you want to copy.

You can check out a video demo of Copy Paste It in action after the break.

via Droid Life

Read the rest of this entry »

Wow. So Microsoft really has decided to just copy a half dozen pages out of Apple’s playbook for Windows Phone 7 Series. The latest development? Windows Phone 7 Series won’t support copy and paste functionality at launch — even though it’s something that Windows CE-based PDAs and phones have been doing for the last 10 years. And even though Apple launched the iPhone without copy/paste support but eventually added this much requested feature.

But it’s not just the copy and paste functionality that’s making Windows Phone 7 Series look like a first generation iPhone. Let’s take a look at the list:

• You can only purchase apps from the official app store/marketplace
• The only apps that will be able to run in the background will be the ones developer by the OS maker
• There’s no support for external storage cards
• The OS won’t have a traditional file manager (although I suspect we’ll see third party utilities eventually)

Don’t get me wrong. Windows Phone 7 Series looks beautiful, and has some excellent features built in, such as live tiles, integration with Xbox Live, and a much-improved mobile web browser. And Windows Mobile was definitely starting to look stagnant after 10 years with few truly major updates. But it would be nice if the next generation operating system added new features without taking away some that we’ve come to rely on, such as multitasking and copy/paste.

Maybe you’d be better off just installing a Windows Phone 7 Series theme on a Windows Mobile 6.5 phone.

via Engadget