Droid X: The Missing Manual

Copying and Pasting Text

What’s a computer without the ability to cut, copy, and paste? A computer at heart, the Droid X lets you do all that, even though it has no mouse. For example, you can copy directions from Google Maps into an email to send to a friend, paste contact information into a note to yourself, and so on.

Note

This technique works only in areas where you enter or edit text, such as in email messages you’re composing, text messages you’re creating, contact information, and similar locations. You can’t copy and paste text from an incoming email. You can, however, copy and paste text from a web page, although using a different technique. See Copying Text from a Web Page for how to do it.

You copy and paste text using the same basic techniques you use on a PC or a Mac. You select it, and then copy, cut, or paste it.

There are several ways to select text in an input box, depending on how much text you want to cut or copy:

• Double-tap. Double-tap the first or last word in a selection of text that you want to cut or copy. The word is highlighted and bracketed by two triangles—one right side up, and the other upside down—those are the handles. Drag each to include all the text you want to select, and then release. The magnifier appears and helps you highlight the text at exactly the point you want.

  

• Tap and hold. Press your finger in the text box and hold it there. The entire box ...