According to reports, Microsoft has now released the public beta of its MSN Soapbox video-upload service, which is being seen as a rival to Google's YouTube service. Last year, in the month of September, the company had made the beta available on invitation only basis in the US. However, now it is open to all, and those interested can test the service by visiting the site (http://soapbox.msn.com).
Soapbox, a part of Windows Live, allows users to upload, discover, and share personal videos with the Soapbox community, and others around the world. It provides users with a number of benefits such as single-step uploading, background server-side video processing, and acceptance of all major digital video formats; video browsing spanning 15 categories, plus RSS feeds; and participation in the Soapbox community, with the ability to rate, comment on, or tag videos viewed, etc. Interestingly, Soapbox allows users to simultaneously watch videos and browse for new ones on the same screen. Besides, all users can view Soapbox videos, but those with a Windows Live ID can comment on and upload new videos. In order to compete with rivals such as Google and Yahoo!, Microsoft has been assembling a raft of Web-based services since November 2005. The company claims to have invested a significant amount of money in its Web efforts. Though many believe that Live services will replace Microsoft's MSN branded services, the company continues to maintain MSN as a site, where it offers entertainment content, which may explain why it branded Soapbox with the MSN name rather than Live. The Live moniker refers more to actual services such as Windows Live e-mail, instant messaging, and search.
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