DELETING LETTERS WHILE TYPING

The only other option is to delete the entire e-mail by shaking the phone, etc.

if it's a short word to fix, I usually just double tap it, which selects it, then type it again since typing at that point replaces the selected text. For a longer word, I just find the place just after the typo and backspace it. I'm not sure I understand how a typo could "require" both a backspace and a delete, though, since you can always place the insertion point after the typo. Can you give an example?

Hey Eddie,

I'm from Bryn Mawr, not too far from you....

Anyway, I see what you mean. For something like that I find I'm faster just double tapping and then writing all set again. Still, I wonder if it would be a good idea to have a setting where if you hold the backspace key down for a moment it turns into a delete forward key. Just a thought.

Learn to use the insertion point. Put the little magnifying glass where you need to correct and make your corrections. It's not just for cut and paste.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/#basics.editing

You can scroll with magnified view right to the letter you want to delete, so what difference does it make which way you move the cursor. Dad always had a saying, something to do with a new rope.