|
Main/News >> News Archives > The week of September 16 (2007) (you
are here)
 @mac.com back in business after off-day and how to get yours back
dwergs says ( 21 Sep 2007 ):
| |
 Good news for the innumerous .Mac account owners who saw themselves shut out of Microsoft/MSN/Windows Live Messenger on Wednesday: the excommunication is over!
It's a good thing we have on the ball Messers out there, instantly reporting whenever whatever goes wrong. It lasted at most 36 hours until the mistake was rectified and now @mac.com is no longer considered an LCS-enabled domain.
Though during the block, Microsoft ordered @mac users to change their Windows Live ID to either @hotmail or a custom one (eg. your own domain name). No problem if you chose the latter option, because then you can just as easily roll back to your trusted @mac account via this link. However, if you changed your Windows Live ID to something@hotmail.*, you cannot undo the migration via that same site.
If you want your precious .Mac login back like it was, you will have to register the address again via this link. Because I don't believe you can perform the following step with Microsoft Messenger, Mac users will have to run Windows Live Messenger through Virtual PC for Mac OS X, or on a Windows-based system. Log into your transformed account (the @hotmail one) with Windows Live Messenger or Microsoft Messenger 6.0.3 (UPDATE: Zero1 just assured me the option's there). Backup your contact list (go to Contacts > Save instant messaging contacts...), log out, and log in with your renewed @mac account. Finally, restore the .ctt file (go to Contacts > Import instant messaging contacts...). And unlike the problem with converted accounts, statuses will appear correctly again.
I've successfully tested this myself, but I can imagine this is not a 100% proof method. It would be far better if Microsoft just allowed the accidental "hotmail converts" to annul the operation and quickly reinstate their @mac accounts.
Thanks to everyone who reported about this for your help. We'll keep you posted on this page.
|
Windows Live WebMessenger: dogfood looks good
dwergs says ( 20 Sep 2007 ):
| |
More than three years after the first sighting of MSN Web Messenger, there's finally a screenshot of the major overhaul that will happen to the browser-version of Messenger. We're talking dogfood material here, so don't expect the beta to be around the corner now.
 First of all, the new version is quite obviously drowned in the Windows Live 2.0 UI flavor we've seen in for instance the 8.5 Beta. More from LiveSide.net: "Judging from the screenshot it seems like Windows Live WebMessenger adds Personal Status Message integration, tabbed conversations (ok they are stacked vertically in a "conversation workspace") and display picture options."
More on this when we find out!
UPDATE: Oh, you don't know what "dogfood" means? My bad! Actually, it's using a pre-beta version of the company's own software internally to become familiar with it, and fix early bugs and design flaws. Microsoft employees that are "dogfooding" have been known to put ({) (l) (&) (pi) as their PSM (copy-paste that in Messenger to see what it means). |
@mac.com accounts forced to change Messenger sign-in ID
dwergs says ( 20 Sep 2007 ):
| |
Imagine that you sign into Windows Live Messenger first thing in the morning, like you do every day, and next thing you know the following error dialog pops up:
"We cannot sign you in to Windows Live Messenger because we have made changes to Windows Live Messenger that affect your account." It happened to Messer Ivan yesterday who e-mailed us telling the @mac.com account he'd been using with Messenger for the past three years abruptly stopped working. And from what I've found here and there, he's not the only one.
After clicking the OK button under said error message, a Microsoft support page is triggered in a browser window, giving the following explanation to what just happened:
"The corporation that owns the domain you're using is reserving it for its company’s instant messaging system."
"If your company has deployed Microsoft Office Live Communicator 2005, and the current sign-in ID you use has the same domain as your company, you will need to change your sign-in ID to continue using the Windows Live Messenger Service."  We're still guessing at the cause here: did Apple reserve the domain for its own IM, or did Microsoft block all @mac.com accounts (even though that makes no sense at all). Either way, seems like those affected absolutely need to change the e-mail address they log in with through this link if they want to continue using the service.
Did you receive the same error when logging in with another type of account? Can you still sign in smoothly with your @mac.com (maybe on MSN Messenger for Mac)? Please let us know while we investigate! |
Talk Like A Pirrrrrrate Day 2007
dwergs says ( 19 Sep 2007 ):
Windows Live for Nokia now in 3 more countries
dwergs says ( 18 Sep 2007 ):
| |
The Windows Live suite for Nokia Nseries which made its debut less than a month ago, has become available in four additional countries: Belgium, Ireland and Portugal.
>> Find everything you need to know here and here.
|
Vodafone Messenger launches in the Netherlands
dwergs says ( 18 Sep 2007 ):
| |
 Vodafone Netherlands is the latest mobile operator to launch a phone version of Windows Live Messenger for its prepaid and subscribed customers.
Starting today, the application can be downloaded for free via the Vodafone Live! portal and it'll run on Nokia 6680, E65 and N73, Sony Ericsson K800i and V630i models. Compatibility with Nokia N95, N70, 6280, 6234, 6120 and 6001 has also been announced.
Like we've seen with similar launches by other operators, usage is completely free for a limited period. As from January 1st (that's 2008), it'll cost €0,75 for each 15 minutes spent signed in. I haven't seen such an arrangement elsewhere and I can imagine your bill can run up quite easily if you forget to sign out. Luckily for Dutch Messers, there's an unlimited plan (for both chatting and surfing) called "Zorgeloos Internet BloX" which costs €9,50 per month.
>> More information on VF Messenger here.
|
Pidgin, AdiumX updated, AirTalkr webified
dwergs says ( 17 Sep 2007 ):
| |
Some refreshes in the land of Windows Live Messenger compatible clients:
Pidgin has been upped to version 2.2.0 last week, which comes with MySpaceIM support, functionality improvements and lots of bug fixes.
>> Download Pidgin 2.2.0.
Earlier this month, a new version of Adium for Mac OS X squashed quite a few bugs as well.
>> >> Download Adium 1.1.2.
Lastly, Hu Shunjie decided to port AirTalkr 2007 entirely to Flex, because friends told him they were too lazy or uncomfortable about installing the AIR runtime. This means that AirTalkr has turned into a web-based application, ready to compete with the big ones. The whole operation took him only 30 minutes, and he even chucked in an extra feature allowing you to set any available Flickr picture as your AirTalkr's background.
>> Log into AirTalkr Web 2007 Beta (free AirTalkr account setup required). |
 Back to the News Archives
|
>> Give your emoticons some "pirattitude" with Mess.be's 
>> Kiwee's got 
>> Download the 
>> Male 
>> Talk like a pirate