Silverlight 3, the next version of Microsoft's Flash-challenger media player that the company had planned to launch on Friday, has struck the web ahead of the scheduled time.

As per Microsoft, Silverlight 3 will offer integration with Office Live Workspace to upload multiple files, sharp images and the ability to share and edit documents concurrently.

Silverlight 3 also includes several new 3-D effects.

Microsoft's Silverlight 3 will rival Adobe Systems' Flash and creative tools.

Microsoft's player features ClearType for Windows and Mac, hardware acceleration, integration with a browser's forward and back button, the knack to work offline and run outside the browser without an additional download.

Silverlight 3 incorporates numerous new 3-D effects and support for touch-based input, which also adds to its value.

Microsoft claims that the package in which the player comes would download in just 10 seconds.

However, Adobe, whose Flash runtime governs the market, is suspicious of Silverlight's success.