Nine months after announcing they would make their instant messaging services interoperate, Yahoo and Microsoft have done it.
The companies are set to release on Thursday a limited beta test of aservice that will enable users of Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger with Voice to connectwith each other.
The service will allow people to sign into both services using one userID, and to see the status of connections of friends from both networks.
The companies announced plans last October to make their IM services interoperable, in what analysts said was a shot to market leader AOL Instant Messenger and a defensive jab at Google Talk.