Microsoft announced the availability of Windows Live Expo's beta version, a service which allows users to post various classified ads, from electronics to real estate.

Up until yesterday, the service was only available to Microsoft employees.

"We've been watching our own Microsoft internal marketplace service for the past couple of years and were inspired by employee behaviors. Regardless of the transaction, we noticed that trust and convenience are the key factors to closing a deal. What sets Windows Live Expo apart is that people can set their own search parameters for goods and services. They can define their own marketplace universe," said Garry Wiseman, product unit manager for Windows Live Expo at Microsoft.

This service is based on the same principle employed by Google Base, but the Redmond company offers additional advantages compared to the competition.

All the products and services listed in Windows Live Expo are geographically identified, or geo-tagged, by ZIP code, not city, which specifically defines where the product is located. In addition, users can narrow down their search to a certain radius, up to 25 miles (40 kilometers).

Windows Live Expo also works together with Windows Live Local, formerly known as MSN Virtual Earth, the customers having the opportunity to visualize the location of the seller. Windows Live Local was also improved, the service including now the „bird's eye" perspective (the ability to view an area from a low angle and not from above).

To protect the users' privacy, Microsoft came up with an interesting feature, the Windows Live Expo-only inbox. All messages and inquiries regarding a customer's listings are sent directly to and from the customer's anonymous Windows Live Expo message inbox. This Windows Live Expo feature helps prevent others from seeing a customer's personal e-mail address, which in turn reduces the opportunity for spam or phishing attacks to reach a user's personal e-mail inbox.

Another service that blends with Windows Live Expo is MSN Messenger, through which the two parties involved in the transaction are able to close a deal in just a few minutes.