Microsoft is preparing to launch a site to list classified sales items, probably to challenge directly with Google Base. The product, code-named, Fremont, will focus on classified announcement of products and services by those who don’t have a web presence.

The service will make details of each item offered for sale or announcement available to Microsoft’s search engine. Initially Fremont will have a very limited beta test, perhaps among Microsoft’s staff and selected third parties.

Convensional search engines were limited to materials visible to spiders and those who were published on the Internet. But things will change…

1. Following Google, Microsoft and Yahoo also have teamed up to digitize content in books and make it available for search.
2. Google Base and Fremont are two commercial efforts to address the limitation of search engines, by allowing any Internet users to feed unique content to search engines.

Not to mention the release of mapping and other tools that will help shoppers to locate products in their neighborhood.

Source: Red Herring.