Windows Live Messenger and BIS Hotmail push mail on BlackBerry
From BerryReview.com:
RIM and Microsoft have tied together to bring tighter integration between Hotmail/Messenger and the BlackBerry. Just look at the promised features in the press release.
This is an awesome announcement - up until now, Bell in Canada and T-Mobile in the States have been the only carriers to offer MSN Messenger to their subscribers. Part of my work at RIM involved instant messaging provisioning and testing the Windows Live Messenger component in preproduction, so it’s awesome to hear that the service will be coming out on a wider scale. I expect it’ll be similar to Facebook’s deployment and this is a huge marketing chip for carriers like Rogers and Telus.
(I know a lot of people on Telus from HowardForums have tried to get the MSN Messenger client working, and you can’t do it without getting a Connection Error 65 - RIM has to enable your SIM or device for it. It’s not just a service book issue.)
Congrats to the teams at RIM and Microsoft on getting a deal worked out - MSN/Windows Live Messenger is definitely one of the most popular services here in Canada.
Additionally, this announcement will take Hotmail/Windows Live Mail from a second-class citizen (you had to pay for Hotmail Plus to access it on your device, ordinarily) to a top-tier mail account with push access. In effect, when using BIS, you’ll get the message on your device as soon as it lands in your inbox, and not from 2-15 minutes afterwards. Other providers with push email on the BlackBerry are Yahoo Mail and Gmail, and some GoDaddy hosted accounts.
I’ll post an update here once the release happens and I’ve had a chance to test the consumer software. With the release of the 9000Bold and this news, things are looking good for the future with BlackBerry devices.
Lewis:
Finally!
That is, on the MSN/Windows Live Messenger issue.
I’ve attempted to use third party BB apps for messaging, but all have failed to thrill me to the extent that Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger have. I prefer the tighter integration with other native BB apps (phone, address book, etc.), which the third party IM’s just couldn’t provide.
I did have Google Talk successfully using a jabber patchwork of logins to get my MSN buddies into Google Talk, but somehow that loophole was closed somewhere after BB OS 3.8.
May 12, 2008, 2:07 pmJake Billo:
I’m currently using Google Talk 2.0 on my 8320 with Jabber integration for MSN, but it’s definitely sketchy at best and I needed to open a new account for MSN. Approving 100+ contacts manually sucks so I just added people that I wanted to have access to me on mobile. Additionally, I ran into huge issues if any Yahoo Messenger contacts had attempted to add my account.
If you’re interested in a solution for GTalk 2.0 on OS 4.2, I used Psi and this guide to get things working, but instead of the ursine.ca transport suggested I used the (msn.)bgmn.net server to get things working.
May 12, 2008, 2:20 pmAdam:
Whew, glad RIM brought this out just in time the death knell of Hotmail and WLM. Both products are so irrelevant at this point. Social networking has totally invalidated WLM and Hotmail has been a train wreck trying to catch up with Google since Gmail came around. What’s next, ICQ support?
May 12, 2008, 4:54 pmLewis:
I think I used that guide initially…but somewhere between my 7100r and my 7130g, the jabber porting of MSN contacts just stopped working.
And yes, Adam, you’re totally right. MSN, hotmail, it’s all mostly irrelevant. I don’t think I’ve signed in to MSN Messenger in months. However, if it were on my BB….I’d be logged in all the time.
May 12, 2008, 6:33 pmJake Billo:
Many of my friends and associates refuse to use Facebook Chat because of their NSA ties and capability of logging everything for future advertising. (Never mind the fact that Microsoft is perfectly capable of the same, but with Facebook you *know* they’re storing all that data.)
That being said, I wouldn’t underestimate the popularity of MSN with Canadian college students. It’s just how instant messaging seems to be done, at least around here.
For the record, ICQ is apparently popular in Europe…
May 12, 2008, 7:16 pmAdam:
I wasn’t specifically referring to social networking’s live chat funtions like Facebook Chat invalidating MSN and IM systems - I’m talking about the way people fundamentally communicate with each other.
It’s all about asynchronous communication now. Twitter, text messaging, wall posts, private messages - as sad as it is, it’s the only way people talk 90% of the time now. “On my time” kind of communication where people are constantly bombarded with things and are busier than ever, it’s the only way that makes sense.
Are college students buying Blackberries? Maybe it’s a new thing, but I’m not that old - when I was in school you’d mostly just see the Razr phones and their equivalents.
May 12, 2008, 10:18 pmJake Billo:
Ah, I see what you mean. I basically treat email as instant messaging now because it gives a little more leniency for responding.
The Razr is still by far the most popular phone that I’ve seen, but its time has past. Motorola can’t milk that cow forever, and the 3G Razr2 has come in at a price point nobody wants to pay (especially when the original model goes for peanuts on a contract.)
Generally, people are using cheap Samsung or LG phones that they get on a prepaid line or free on contract. Having said that, I’ve seen unlocked iPhones and a ton of BlackBerry Pearl devices, but nobody seems to have an actual data plan: they’re just used for text messaging.
May 13, 2008, 11:08 amRobert:
I was able to use msn live until last night now i keep getting error 65 problem receiving data from the server…
August 19, 2008, 3:30 pmany ideas?
Jake Billo:
Try the following troubleshooting tasks if you’re getting Connection Error 65’s:
Go into Options > Advanced > Service Books and remove all WLM entries (WLM 2.1)
August 20, 2008, 12:15 pmResend your service books: log into your carrier’s BIS site and select Service Books > Send Service Books
Install the latest WLM client: http://www.blackberry.com/devicesoftware/entry.do?code=wlm
Gaby:
I am having the same problem. MSN is installed in my phone, as well as all the other IM programs, I have OS 4.5 on my Curve, and still won’t work, giving me that “can’t connect to the server” message. I also try to connect to the link that Jake Billo posted to download MSN and it won’t recognize my phone. Any other ideas? I have been losing sleep since I got the phone on Saturday!
August 29, 2008, 12:11 pmJake Billo:
Gaby: What provider are you with? You can also try this link - I think I got the code wrong in my first comment.
http://www.blackberry.com/devicesoftware/entry.do?code=wlm20
August 29, 2008, 12:24 pmdave wardell:
I run a small business and we have 3 BB Bols which are great. Two of the bolds seem to receive and send hotmail fine but one of them (mine) receives hotmails but will not successfully reply or send emails to anyone in my address book. It works fine if the person is not in my address book (contacts) but if they are it brings up a red cross and doesn’t send the email. I can’t find any solution to this and +range cust serv (uk) say they won’t help untill I pay some money to hotmail. I don’t mind this in principal but don’t understand why it works on the other phones and used to work on mine. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks, Dave.
October 2, 2008, 4:23 pmJake Billo:
Hi Dave - I’ve sent you an email directly to try and help.
October 2, 2008, 4:27 pmSam:
On my Rogers Bold, I was getting the Messenger connection error 65.
I uninstalled Windows Live Messenger, then went into service books, deleted 3 “Windows Live” service books (not sure where they came from) and then re-installed Messenger 2.1 and all is working great now. Now I see 3 WLM 2.1 service books.
Thanks Jake for the hints.
October 12, 2008, 1:52 pmJeff:
I recently upgraded my 8830 to OS v4.5, now WLM doesn’t work. I was getting an ‘invalid userid/password error’, which I am sure positive is a bogus error. I deleted all of the WLM service books, re-installed. Now I received a “Connection Error (65)….” the first time, then the 2nd time I am asked to accept T&C, then “Invalid email address or password” … Using T-Mobile(USA). Ideas ? I really need this to work, I depend on WLM for work.
October 27, 2008, 12:24 amJake Billo:
Once you accept the terms and conditions for WLM, your device should be good to go. Sounds like that wasn’t the case. Try deleting the service books again, including any BBIM ones, and then resend them from your carrier’s BIS site.
October 27, 2008, 6:02 pmJeff:
Spent a hour or so on the phone with Level 2 support @ RIM. There is a known issue (know to RIM), when a password for WLM contains % . This is only an issue with the latest version on OS 4.5. No date on a fix, but it is in the works for a future release.
October 27, 2008, 6:31 pmJake Billo:
Interesting. I’ll check the support system to find out what that exact issue is logged as and make sure it’s receiving attention.
October 27, 2008, 10:27 pmJake Billo:
Just for reference… this became public today so I can talk about it. IM updates go through all the time, so I’d expect something sooner rather than later. Keep in mind a lot of the IM services are managed by external providers and we may be limited by their protocols; I’m not sure if that’s the case in this scenario.
http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/dynamickc.do?externalId=KB15893&sliceId=SAL_Public&command=show&forward=nonthreadedKC&kcId=KB15893
October 30, 2008, 5:03 pmRyan:
Hi Jake,
I’m having the same problem as Dave Wardell and can’t send emails via my free hotmail account to people in my address book. Can you suggest a solution for me as well? Thanks, Ryan.
November 19, 2008, 12:47 pmJake Billo:
Hi Ryan,
Dave ended up having to use JavaLoader to wipe his device; it wasn’t anything to do with service books, somehow his address book database had become corrupted and it was causing errors with his contacts. Let me know directly (jake at jakebillo dot com) if you’d like instructions or if you want me to check things out from the BIS side.
November 19, 2008, 2:21 pm