Early last week Live Messenger 8.1 became available for download.

The latest version has lots of new and improved features, including:

• roaming identity (your display picture now goes with you whenever you move from one computer to another)
• a better contact card
• SMS phone book (click the mobile phone icon on the main screen)
• send a text message to a friend's mobile (if they've registered their mobile phone with the Live Messaging system - they'll have a little mobile icon alongside; just right-click on their nickname in your contact list)
• im and talk with your Yahoo! friends
• 2 free VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone calls to anywhere in the world (except from Australia at present - we'll have to wait and see if this service becomes available to Aussie Live Messers).
• personal contact invitations when you add a new contact to your friend's list so they know who's inviting them.

Check out some screenshots and full description of the new and improved features at Inside Live Messenger (plenty of screenshots), Liveside (more screenshots; note the one which shows the phone icon on the main Messenger pane - scroll down until you see Update) and the Live Messenger features page.

Go get Windows Live Messenger 8.1 from get.live.com/messenger/overview - and we in Australia will patiently wait to see if we get the VOIP service.

OneCare is Microsoft's package that includes virus and spyware scanning, computer tune-up by removing temporary files and defragging your disk's files, backup and restore of important documents, background update of virus and spyware definitions, and a licence for use on up to three computers. There's a special discount offer available until February 12.

So you've got a rough idea of what to expect when you install Windows Live OneCare, here are some of the steps the install wizard will go through.

Reminder: if you tried out OneCare for the free 90-day period, you'll probably get an email with an invite to install the new, full version at the special discount price of $39.95 (Australian dollars; up to 3 computers). If you didn't try the free version, go to http://get.live.com/onecare/introCC1 to get the special discount price (available until Feb 12).

webDotWiz clicked the link in the email he received, Special offer for Beta participants and was taken to a page where he selected his language/country.

After signing in to his Windows Live ID, he had to drag out his dust-covered credit card and give all the necessary details. Then the download and install started - the page gives you the estimated time and it's pretty accurate.

Now like all good webDotWizards, webDotWiz has been using AVG Free for virus protection and Windows Defender to ward off spyware. OneCare knows about AVG Free and it'll popup to tell you it's going to remove it. After AVG Free goes through it's removal process, untick the box that AVG shows because it wants to restart your computer. Don't worry because after you've unticked that box and you come back to the OneCare install screen, OneCare tells you to restart - just click to Finish and it'll do it.

After your computer restarts, OneCare will prompt you to finish installing online. You'll get a Good status (in bright, shiny green).

A few seconds later you'll be prompted to Activate your subscription - click the button to do so.

You'll have to give a name for your computer (if you've got a home network you may not have to do this because your computers will each have a name).

Sign in again to your Windows Live ID and OneCare goes off to check if you've got an existing OneCare account. After a bit, OneCare will be happy and you're activiated.

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