Rumors of a major update to Windows Phone 7 due in early 2011 have circulated the web, but now it appears that some developer devices are receiving updates already. Most notibly, the update contains they very sought after feature, copy and paste. As Apple does with seeding new versions of iOS to developers, it appears that Microsoft is very much doing the same thing for developer devices.
The developer device to receive the update was the Samsung Taylor, which increases the version number of the OS to 7.0.7338.0. Retail devices are currently running 7.0.7004.0. A tipster for PocketNow claims that the Samsung Taylor got the update after being connected to the Zune software. There was a tweet sent out that claimed they also received an update on their developer device, the Samsung Taylor, showing that more than one person got the update.
The tipster also walked us through on just how copy and paste for the Windows Phone 7 platform works:
A user can tap a word in mail, IE, Word, etc and that word is then highlighted with arrows on both sides. One can then drag to the left or right to include more words. An icon appears above the highlighted word(s) (looks very similar to the copy icon in Office 2010) to copy. Open a new document, once the cursor is set/blinking and the soft keyboard appears, a paste icon (again, looks the same as the paste icon in Office 2010) is shown just above the top row of letters. In "Messaging", a user can long press a specific IM which open up the hidden menu that now includes copy. Paste where you wish...
Lack of support for copy and paste was an issue that the critics hit hard about the mobile platform. Adding support was a top priority for Microsoft, and seeding the update to developers shows they are well on their way to bringing a well-welcomed update to the public.