Google opens online store for business

AAP

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GOOGLE will sell the online services of other business software makers in an effort to fill its own product gaps and persuade more companies to rely on applications piped over the internet.

The online store unveiled late on Tuesday marks another step in Google's crusade to convert the world to "cloud computing".

The term refers to applications that run in web browsers instead of individual hard drives.

More than 50 software makers have agreed to sell their internet programs through Google, which will keep 20 per cent of the sales. The prices are expected to range from $US50 ($A54.73) to several hundred dollars per user annually.

Intuit and Concur Technologies are among the best-known software makers in Google's store.