Notices

Got this email from Nokia earlier today. Don't know if this applies to the N900. As no one else here seems to have received it I am guessing possibly not. I may just have received it because of the three days I had an N97 before I realised it was the biggest peace of thrash ever. Remains to be seen what exactly this means. Is it just yahoo contacts you will be able to chat to or will it also apply to msn contacts for example. Hope so even though the email does not suggest so.

You have received this message because you have used instant messaging (IM) from the Contacts application on your Nokia phone. We are announcing changes that require your action to continue using this service.
Nokia recently announced an alliance with Yahoo! in which Yahoo! will begin powering Ovi Chat. This alliance will bring exciting new functionality to Ovi Chat in the coming months, including the ability to add Yahoo! Messenger friends to your Ovi Chat friend list and access Ovi Chat from a browser.

To prepare for these changes, you need to begin using the Chat application on your Nokia phone. Access the Chat application from the Chat icon on your Nokia phone or by downloading it from the Ovi Store (see links below). Then, launch Chat on your phone, select Register/Create Account, and follow the instructions to log in with your existing Ovi account credentials.
If you are viewing this email on a computer, click here:>> http://ct.nokia.com?105803688&121-EISKI to send the Chat application to your mobile.If you are viewing this email on your mobile, click here:>> http://ct.nokia.com?105803688&121-EISKL to download the Chat application.
The Ovi Contacts application will continue to be supported by Nokia, but you can only take advantage of the new Ovi Chat capabilities or chat with other Ovi Chat users if you are using the Chat application. The Chat application also gives you access to other popular IM services so you can chat with your friends across multiple portals/communities from the same place on your phone.
We look forward to seeing you on the new and improved Ovi Chat Powered by Yahoo! service.Sincerely,Ovi by Nokia

Does that mean it will no longer be XMPP?

Windows Live Messenger supports talking to Yahoo contacts...

Does this means we can also talk to OVI contacts either soon?

I clicked on the link you provided. The application is not available for the N900 nor is it available for the N8-00. So it looks like it might be a Symbian^1 sort of thing.

this is the only important question in this context. if they stop using xmpp, i stop using ovi chat. nobody i know is on yahoo.

EDIT: i wish companies in general would add some useful information to such mails when they change platforms etc. - "exciting new functionality" is the same as "blubb blubb blubb blubb". It means nothing. can somebody please push some razor blades under those marketing people's fingernails until they start speaking any real human language?

EDIT 2: funny thing is: i preferred ovi over google talk because google is (aside from being google) a US-based company and i don't want to to have too much of my data saved there. now the finns hand over mail and chat to another US company. nice move. jabber.ccc.de seems like a good alternative.

There's a whole bunch of public XMPP servers available, and running your own for your domain if you're so inclined isn't that hard either. The beauty of open standards :-)

I got the same email, it's not just you
I don't think I've ever used IM on any Nokia phone, unless you count google chat on the N900. It's not Nokia/OVI anyway.

Am I right in thinking you can use yahoo on gtalk by setting up with PSI using one of the jabber servers (managed that online and could see my yahoo contacts who were online). However, you can no longer do the same with msn contacts? Tried it last night with no success. My msn contacts could see me but I could not see them and I could not even receive their messages.

Does Ovi have this same msn problem or can I see and communicate with msn contacts using ovi chat?

I have the impression that no one here really understood what Nokia meant to tell in that email, am I right? Except that they partnered with Yahoo and they expect you to like that. I followed the link they provided and got a 404 not found, so nice work Nokia