America Online today launched a beta of its free web portal - AOL's gateway into an ad-supported revenue model - matching an earlier Google portal effort this year, and hoping to challenge longstanding portals Yahoo and MSN. (Reports say that in the first quarter of 2005, AOL's advertising revenue increased 45 percent, and its intake of subscribers decreased 8 percent.) PCmag reports that a link on the current AOL site will take users to the portal, which is still being built. AOL is talking up the ability of the "next-generation portal" to offer usable video and timely news as well as other current "programming."

The test version will not contain all the planned features, but most will be introduced in the next month. The full site is expected to launch at the end of July.

The new portal will lead users to AOL Instant Messenger, AOL Journals blogging service and AOL Picture service for storing and organizing photos. It will also bring together AOL's various properties accessible via search, making it easier for consumers to use AOL Yellow Pages, MapQuest, Moviefone.com and travel search engine Pinpoint Travel.

But the real intent of the AOL portal, according to PCmag, seems to be to provide unprecedented access to music and video, including AOL Radio on demand with 200 channels and eventually 20 XM Radio channels. AOL Session and Music Live programming will also be brought to the fore. Moreover, in addition to Video Search, visitors will eventually be able to access AOL's Video Hub to watch music videos, movie clips and trailers, full-length features, news and live feeds.