diff --git a/shell/ActivityHost.py b/shell/ActivityHost.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c9d6dcb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/shell/ActivityHost.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import gtk
+import dbus
+
+from sugar.activity import Activity
+
+class ActivityHost:
+	def __init__(self, xid):
+		self._xid = xid
+		
+		bus = dbus.SessionBus()
+		service = Activity.ACTIVITY_SERVICE_NAME + "%s" % xid
+		path = Activity.ACTIVITY_SERVICE_PATH + "/%s" % xid
+		proxy_obj = bus.get_object(service, path)
+
+		self._activity = dbus.Interface(proxy_obj, 'com.redhat.Sugar.Activity')
+		self._id = self._activity.get_id()
+		self._window = gtk.gdk.window_foreign_new(xid)
+
+	def get_id(self):
+		return self._id
+
+	def publish(self):
+		self._activity.publish()
+
+	def get_shared(self):
+		return self._activity.get_shared()
+
+	def show_dialog(self, dialog):
+		dialog.show()
+		dialog.window.set_transient_for(self._window)
diff --git a/shell/PresenceView.py b/shell/PresenceView.py
index 41205495..fafd5778 100644
--- a/shell/PresenceView.py
+++ b/shell/PresenceView.py
@@ -20,12 +20,9 @@ class PresenceView(gtk.VBox):
 		self._activity = None
 		self._shell = shell
 
-		self._pservice = PresenceService.get_instance()
-		self._pservice.connect("buddy-appeared", self._on_buddy_appeared_cb)
-		self._pservice.connect("buddy-disappeared", self._on_buddy_disappeared_cb)
-		self._pservice.start()
-		
-		self._pservice.track_service_type(BuddyChat.SERVICE_TYPE)
+		self._pservice = PresenceService()
+		self._pservice.connect("BuddyAppeared", self._on_buddy_appeared_cb)
+		self._pservice.connect("BuddyDisappeared", self._on_buddy_disappeared_cb)
 		
 		self._setup_ui()
 
diff --git a/shell/Shell.py b/shell/Shell.py
index 1e532ad8..89ac5493 100755
--- a/shell/Shell.py
+++ b/shell/Shell.py
@@ -11,10 +11,10 @@ from ActivityRegistry import ActivityRegistry
 from HomeWindow import HomeWindow
 from sugar import keybindings
 from sugar import env
-from sugar.activity import Activity
 from PeopleWindow import PeopleWindow
 from Owner import ShellOwner
 from PresenceService import PresenceService
+from ActivityHost import ActivityHost
 
 class ShellDbusService(dbus.service.Object):
 	def __init__(self, shell, bus_name):
@@ -66,40 +66,29 @@ class Shell:
 		else:
 			window.show()
 
-	def get_activity_from_xid(self, xid):
-		bus = dbus.SessionBus()
-		service = Activity.ACTIVITY_SERVICE_NAME + "%s" % xid
-		path = Activity.ACTIVITY_SERVICE_PATH + "/%s" % xid
-		proxy_obj = bus.get_object(service, path)
+	def get_current_activity(self):
+		window = self._screen.get_active_window()
+		if window and window.get_window_type() == wnck.WINDOW_NORMAL:
+			return ActivityHost(window.get_xid())
+		else:
+			return None
 
-		return dbus.Interface(proxy_obj, 'com.redhat.Sugar.Activity')
-
-	def get_activity_window(self):
-		return self._screen.get_active_window()
-
-	def __people_window_delete_cb(self, window, event):
+	def __people_dialog_delete_cb(self, window, event):
 		window.hide()
 		return True
 
 	def show_people(self):
-		activity_window = self.get_activity_window()
-		if activity_window:
-			xid = activity_window.get_xid()
-			activity = self.get_activity_from_xid(xid)
-			activity_id = activity.get_id()
-
-			if not self._people_windows.has_key(activity_id):
-				window = PeopleWindow(self, activity)
-				window.connect('delete-event', self.__people_window_delete_cb)
-				keybindings.setup_global_keys(window, self)
-				self._people_windows[activity_id] = window
+		activity = self.get_current_activity()
+		if activity:
+			if not self._people_windows.has_key(activity.get_id()):
+				dialog = PeopleWindow(self, activity)
+				dialog.connect('delete-event', self.__people_dialog_delete_cb)
+				keybindings.setup_global_keys(dialog, self)
+				self._people_windows[activity.get_id()] = dialog
 			else:
-				window = self._people_windows[activity_id]
+				dialog = self._people_windows[activity.get_id()]
 
-			window.show()
-
-			foreign_activity_win = gtk.gdk.window_foreign_new(xid)
-			window.window.set_transient_for(foreign_activity_win)		
+			activity.show_dialog(dialog)
 
 	def toggle_console(self):
 		self._toggle_window_visibility(self._console.get_window())
diff --git a/sugar/chat/ActivityChat.py b/sugar/chat/ActivityChat.py
index 9edee835..ff5c057f 100644
--- a/sugar/chat/ActivityChat.py
+++ b/sugar/chat/ActivityChat.py
@@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ class ActivityChat(GroupChat):
 		self._chat_service = None
 
 		self._activity = activity
-		self._pservice.connect('service-appeared', self._service_appeared_cb)
-		self._pservice.track_service_type(ActivityChat.SERVICE_TYPE)
+		self._pservice.connect('ServiceAppeared', self._service_appeared_cb)
 
 		# Find an existing activity chat to latch onto
-		service = self._pservice.get_activity_service(activity, ActivityChat.SERVICE_TYPE)
-		if service is not None:
-			self._service_appeared_cb(self._pservice, None, service)
+		#activity_ps = self._pservice.getActivity(activity.get_id())
+		#service = activity.getServiceOfType(ActivityChat.SERVICE_TYPE)
+		#if service is not None:
+		#	self._service_appeared_cb(self._pservice, None, service)
 
 	def _service_appeared_cb(self, pservice, buddy, service):
 		if service.get_activity_id() != self._activity.get_id():
diff --git a/sugar/chat/Chat.py b/sugar/chat/Chat.py
index f510fde5..20c566e4 100644
--- a/sugar/chat/Chat.py
+++ b/sugar/chat/Chat.py
@@ -28,8 +28,7 @@ class Chat(gtk.VBox):
 	def __init__(self):
 		gtk.VBox.__init__(self, False, 6)
 
-		self._pservice = PresenceService.get_instance()
-		self._pservice.start()
+		self._pservice = PresenceService()
 
 		self._stream_writer = None
 		self.set_border_width(12)