With Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) coming out of the dark a little and releasing its new search portal www.live.com to the world, will the world notice? Live.com features Microsoft's new AdCenter ad platform meant to try and replicate Google's success in the ad market as well as recruit new users of Microsoft's online offerings.

If the world does notice, it will be when Windows Vista is released, as I am sure there will be a million hooks into Live.com from within Vista. Microsoft needs to bridge its local software with the online world and Microsoft Office Live is a major proving ground.

Well, just how alive is live? Being the successor to MSN Search, it will start out as a distant third place to Google and Yahoo! in online searches. Live.com must not only be available and work almost without fail, but Microsoft is also going to have to market and advertise this service heavily if it expects to gain any headway on Google.

But I found Live.com to be very lively. I've tested it and the interface is slick, the results are great and fast, and the presentation is very good. These things -- however -- will not make up for the fact that Google beat Microsoft by years to this party. Is Live.com going to be relevant and popular with consumers, regardless of how good it is?

That is the billion-dollar (advertising) question. Microsoft surely hopes this is not just a product that will become less relevant as time goes by. Microsoft has been in a mode of "catch up" lately, and this may seem, to many, as just another "me too" product. Google's enormous brand equity won't be easy to battle, even for the world's largest software company. If Windows Vista goes wild with sales soon, Live.com may get the attention it is seeking. Until then, I'll be watching and waiting.