diff --git a/chat.js b/chat.js
index 83042ecaf..46e749c24 100644
--- a/chat.js
+++ b/chat.js
@@ -143,13 +143,6 @@ var xmppchat = (function (jarnxmpp, $, console) {
         return xmppchat.ChatPartners.getTotal();
     };
 
-    ob.Presence.sendPresence = function (type) {
-        if (type === undefined) {
-            type = this.getOwnStatus() || 'online';
-        }
-        xmppchat.connection.send($pres({'type':type}));
-    };
-
     ob.Taskbuffer = (function ($) {
         // Executes tasks one after another (i.e next task is started only when
         // the previous one has been completed).
@@ -568,7 +561,7 @@ xmppchat.RosterClass = (function (stropheRoster, _, $, console) {
             },
                 
             addResource: function (bare_jid, resource) {
-                var item = this.getItem(bare_jid);
+                var item = this.getItem(bare_jid),
                     resources;
                 if (item) {
                     resources = item.get('resources');
@@ -641,7 +634,9 @@ xmppchat.RosterClass = (function (stropheRoster, _, $, console) {
             ptype = $(presence).attr('type'),
             status = '';
 
-        if (ob.isSelf(bare_jid)) { return true; }
+        if (ob.isSelf(bare_jid)) { 
+            return true; 
+        }
 
         if (ptype === 'subscribe') {
             // FIXME: User wants to subscribe to us. Always approve and
@@ -716,6 +711,81 @@ xmppchat.RosterView= (function (roster, _, $, console) {
     return view;
 });
 
+xmppchat.XMPPStatus = Backbone.Model.extend({
+
+    sendPresence: function (type) {
+        if (type === undefined) {
+            type = this.getOwnStatus() || 'online';
+        }
+        xmppchat.connection.send($pres({'type':type}));
+    },
+
+    getOwnStatus: function () {
+        return store.get(xmppchat.connection.bare_jid+'-xmpp-status');
+    },
+
+    setOwnStatus: function (value) {
+        this.sendPresence(value);
+        store.set(xmppchat.connection.bare_jid+'-xmpp-status', value);
+    }
+});
+
+xmppchat.XMPPStatusView = Backbone.View.extend({
+    el: "span#xmpp-status-holder",
+
+    events: {
+        "click #fancy-xmpp-status-select": "toggleOptions",
+        "click .dropdown dd ul li a": "setOwnStatus"
+    },
+
+    toggleOptions: function (ev) {
+        ev.preventDefault();
+        $(ev.target).parent().siblings('dd').find('ul').toggle('fast');
+    },
+
+    setOwnStatus: function (ev) {
+        ev.preventDefault();
+        var $el = $(ev.target).find('span'),
+            value = $el.text();
+        $(this.el).find(".dropdown dt a").html('I am ' + value).attr('class', value);
+        $(this.el).find(".dropdown dd ul").hide();
+        $(this.el).find("#source").val($($el).find("span.value").html());
+        this.model.setOwnStatus(value);
+    },
+
+    choose_template: _.template('<dl id="target" class="dropdown">' +
+                    '<dt id="fancy-xmpp-status-select">'+
+                    '<a href="#" title="Click to change your chat status" class="<%= chat_status %>">' +
+                    'I am <%= chat_status %> <span class="value"><%= chat_status %></span>' +
+                    '</a></dt>' +
+                    '<dd><ul></ul></dd>'),
+
+    option_template: _.template(
+                            '<li>' +
+                                '<a href="#" class="<%= value %>">' +
+                                    '<%= text %>' +
+                                    '<span class="value"><%= value %></span>' +
+                                '</a>' +
+                            '</li>'),
+
+    initialize: function () {
+        var $select = $(this.el).find('select#select-xmpp-status'),
+            chat_status = this.model.getOwnStatus() || 'offline',
+            options = $('option', $select),
+            that = this;
+
+        $(this.el).html(this.choose_template({'chat_status': chat_status}));
+
+        // iterate through all the <option> elements and create UL
+        options.each(function(){
+            $(that.el).find("#target dd ul").append(that.option_template({
+                                                            'value': $(this).val(), 
+                                                            'text': $(this).text()
+                                                        })).hide();
+        });
+        $select.remove();
+    }
+});
 
 // Event handlers
 // --------------
@@ -732,6 +802,7 @@ $(document).ready(function () {
     $(document).bind('jarnxmpp.connected', function () {
         // FIXME: Need to get some convention going for naming classes and instances of
         // models and views.
+        xmppchat.connection.bare_jid = Strophe.getBareJidFromJid(xmppchat.connection.jid);
 
         // Messages
         xmppchat.connection.addHandler(xmppchat.Messages.messageReceived, null, 'message', 'chat');
@@ -742,7 +813,6 @@ $(document).ready(function () {
         
         xmppchat.Roster.registerCallback(xmppchat.Roster.updateHandler);
         xmppchat.Roster.getRoster();
-        xmppchat.Presence.sendPresence();
 
         xmppchat.chatboxes = new xmppchat.ChatBoxes();
         
@@ -750,6 +820,15 @@ $(document).ready(function () {
             'model': xmppchat.chatboxes
         });
 
+        // XMPP Status 
+        xmppchat.xmppstatus = new xmppchat.XMPPStatus();
+        xmppchat.xmppstatusview = new xmppchat.XMPPStatusView({
+            'model': xmppchat.xmppstatus
+        });
+
+        xmppchat.xmppstatus.sendPresence();
+
+        // Controlbox toggler
         $toggle.bind('click', function (e) {
             e.preventDefault();
             if ($("div#online-users-container").is(':visible')) {
diff --git a/chatui.js b/chatui.js
index 8626801ed..c0d163128 100644
--- a/chatui.js
+++ b/chatui.js
@@ -8,13 +8,7 @@ xmppchat.UI = (function (xmppUI, $, console) {
         return xmppchat.base_url + call; 
     };
 
-    ob.addUserToRosterUI = function (user_id, bare_jid, fullname, userstatus) {
-        if ($('#online-users-' + user_id).length > 0) { return; }
-        var li = $('<li></li>').addClass(userstatus).attr('id', 'online-users-'+user_id).attr('data-recipient', bare_jid);
-        li.append($('<a title="Click to chat with this contact"></a>').addClass('user-details-toggle').text(fullname));
-        li.append($('<a title="Click to remove this contact" href="#"></a>').addClass('remove-xmpp-contact'));
-        $('#xmpp-contacts').append(li);
-    };
+    ob.addUserToRosterUI = function (user_id, bare_jid, fullname, userstatus) {};
 
     ob.updateOnPresence = function (jid, status, presence) {
         var user_id = Strophe.getNodeFromJid(jid),
@@ -60,22 +54,7 @@ xmppchat.UI = (function (xmppUI, $, console) {
         $('#online-count').text(xmppchat.Presence.onlineCount());
     };
 
-    ob.positionNewChat =  function ($chat) {
-        var open_chats = 0,
-            offset;
-        for (var i=0; i<this.chats.length; i++) {
-            if ($("#"+helpers.hash(this.chats[i])).is(':visible')) {
-                open_chats++;
-            }
-        }
-        if (open_chats === 0) {
-            $chat.animate({'right':'15px'});
-        } 
-        else {
-            offset = (open_chats)*(this.chatbox_width+7)+15;
-            $chat.animate({'right': (offset+'px')});
-        }
-    };
+    ob.positionNewChat =  function ($chat) {};
 
     ob.handleChatEvents =  function (chat_id) {
         var chat_area = $("#"+chat_id+" .chat-textarea"),
@@ -157,28 +136,7 @@ xmppchat.UI = (function (xmppUI, $, console) {
         });
     };
 
-    ob.createChatbox = function (bare_jid, callback) {
-        var user_id = Strophe.getNodeFromJid(bare_jid),
-            that = this;
-        xmppchat.Presence.getUserInfo(user_id, function (data) {
-            var chat_id = helpers.hash(bare_jid);
-            var $chat = $('<div class="chatbox"></div>').attr('id', chat_id).hide();
-            var $head = $('<div class="chat-head chat-head-chatbox"></div>')
-                    .append($('<div class="chat-title"></div>').text(data.fullname))
-                    .append($('<a href="javascript:void(0)" class="chatbox-button close-chatbox-button">X</a>')
-                        .attr('data-recipient', bare_jid))
-                    .append('<br clear="all"/>'); 
-            var $content = $('<div class="chat-content"></div>');
-            var $form = $('<form class="sendXMPPMessage" action="" method="post">')
-                        .append(
-                            $('<textarea type="text" ' +
-                                'class="chat-textarea" ' +
-                                'placeholder="Personal message"/>').attr('data-recipient', bare_jid));
-            $chat.append($head).append($content).append($form);
-            $('body').append($chat);
-            callback($chat);
-        });
-    };
+    ob.createChatbox = function (bare_jid, callback) {};
     /*
     $chat.find('.chat-message .time').each(function () {
         var jthis = $(this);
@@ -212,6 +170,7 @@ xmppchat.UI = (function (xmppUI, $, console) {
         if (_.indexOf(this.chats, jid) == -1) {
             this.chats.push(jid);
         }
+        this.addChatToCookie(jid);
     };
 
     ob.getChatbox =  function (jid, callback) {
@@ -262,8 +221,9 @@ xmppchat.UI = (function (xmppUI, $, console) {
         return dfd.promise();
     };
 
-    ob.reorderChats =  function () {
-    };
+    ob.reorderChats =  function () {};
+
+    ob.addChatToCookie = function (jid) {};
 
     ob.addMessageToChatbox =  function (event) {
         /* XXX: event.mtype should be 'xhtml' for XHTML-IM messages, 
@@ -367,42 +327,6 @@ xmppchat.UI = (function (xmppUI, $, console) {
         }
     };
 
-    ob.setOwnStatus = function (el) {
-        var jid = xmppchat.connection.jid,
-            value = $(el).find('span').text();
-
-        $(".dropdown dt a").html('I am ' + value);
-        $(".dropdown dt a").attr('class', value);
-        $(".dropdown dd ul").hide();
-        $("#source").val($(el).find("span.value").html());
-
-        xmppchat.Presence.sendPresence(value);
-        xmppchat.Storage.set(xmppchat.username+'-xmpp-status', value);
-    };
-
-    ob.createStatusSelectWidget = function () {
-        var select = $('select#select-xmpp-status'),
-            selected = select.find('option[selected]'),
-            chat_status = selected.val() || xmppchat.Presence.getOwnStatus() || 'online';
-            options = $('option', select);
-
-            // create <dl> and <dt> with selected value inside it
-            select.parent().append('<dl id="target" class="dropdown"></dl>');
-
-            $("#target").append('<dt id="fancy-xmpp-status-select"><a href="#" title="Click to change your chat status" class="' +
-                chat_status+'">I am ' + chat_status + 
-                '<span class="value">' + chat_status + '</span></a></dt>');
-
-            $("#target").append('<dd><ul></ul></dd>');
-            // iterate through all the <option> elements and create UL
-            options.each(function(){
-                $("#target dd ul").append('<li><a href="#" class="'+$(this).val()+'">' + 
-                    $(this).text() + '<span class="value">' + 
-                    $(this).val() + '</span></a></li>').hide();
-            });
-            select.remove();
-    };
-
     return ob;
 })(xmppchat.UI || {}, jQuery, console || {log: function(){}} );
 
@@ -410,8 +334,6 @@ xmppchat.UI = (function (xmppUI, $, console) {
 // Event handlers
 // --------------
 $(document).ready(function () {
-    xmppchat.UI.createStatusSelectWidget();
-
     $(document).unbind('jarnxmpp.message');
     $(document).bind('jarnxmpp.message',  function (event) {
         xmppchat.UI.addMessageToChatbox(event);
@@ -432,11 +354,6 @@ $(document).ready(function () {
 
     $('ul.tabs').tabs('div.panes > div');
 
-    $('#fancy-xmpp-status-select').click(function (ev) {
-        ev.preventDefault();
-        $(this).siblings('dd').find('ul').toggle('fast');
-    });
-
     $('div.add-xmpp-contact').click(function (ev) {
         ev.preventDefault();
         $(this).parent().find('form.search-xmpp-contact').toggle().find('input.username').focus();
@@ -497,11 +414,6 @@ $(document).ready(function () {
         $('form.search-xmpp-contact').hide();
     });
 
-    $(".dropdown dd ul li a").click(function(ev) {
-        ev.preventDefault();
-        xmppchat.UI.setOwnStatus(this);
-    });
-
     $('select#select-xmpp-status').bind('change', function (ev) {
         var jid = xmppchat.connection.jid,
             value = ev.target.value;