iPhone OS 3.1 Will Paste Video to Email

We've seen how to paste full-resolution photos into email using iPhone OS 3.0. The latest reported changes to firmware 3.1 will allow even more functionality by making it possible for users to paste full-resolution video directly to email.

As seen in this video, it's a simple process. Just hold down and use the copy function, then switch to email and paste. This feature is illustrated using iPhone OS 3.1 beta 3, which was just released this week.

Instead of sending the video in full resolution, the share feature in the lower left hand corner of the camera roll actually reduces the size of the video file. It treats photos in the same fashion, lowering the resolution. According to WhenWillApple blogger Justin:

I was able to copy, paste, and email a 33 second / 14.7MB file through gmail. I got the file at the full 640×480 / 30fps. Sending the same file via the share function yield a file size of 3.21MB at the compressed 480×320 / 30fps.

Apparently, the paste to email limit on photos and videos is 15MB. Copy appears to work properly, then when trying to paste the large file to email nothing happens. Copying a large number of photos will also work, however when pasting the number of files pasted will amount to less that 15MB in total size.

Could this be a bandwidth constraint suggested by AT&T? It would be interesting to see if the same procedure works with a file larger than 15MB when connected via Wi-Fi.

Speaking of bandwidth, another new feature in iPhone OS 3.1 separates "Cellular Data Network" bandwidth consumed from "Tethering Data"on the Usage screen.

Apparently someday AT&T will offer tethering on the iPhone. We're still waiting for MMS.