In brief

· Hewlett-Packard has launched its Top Config service, a computer building scheme aimed mostly at the small business community. Instead of building a load of machines and telling you what you can buy from the range, this will involve going to an HP reseller (or "dealer" to cut out the jargon) and explaining exactly what you need from your systems; HP will then build a specified system to order. Andy Vickers, who heads up the scheme for HP, confirmed that in spite of the tailored nature of the scheme, the company will have access to all of the economies of scale it has on its broader range, so prices won't shoot up if you're having something tailored.

· Samsung has joined the army of manufacturers offering new Centrino-based notebook computers. Dell, Toshiba and others were the first off the blocks. Centrino is essentially a chipset from Intel that focuses on mobility issues (battery life and display quality) rather than the traditional go-as-fast-as-you-can-and-ignore-the-rest approach of the faster chips. The end result should be better life from a notebook. The new Samsungs include the top-of-the-range Q20, which includes wireless technology as standard. Storage of up to 60Gb and Ram up to 512Mb should please all but the most power hungry customers. Prices start at £1,399.

· You think your printer consumables are costing too much but don't want to risk buying an "unbranded" substitute toner cartridge? It's a tall order, but Tally Systems is aiming to help with the problem. The long-established printer manufacturer aims to make alternative consumables available for just about every printer on the market, but it wants to do more than that: it wants to offer customers on-site support no matter who made their printers, and claims its customers will enjoy a 35% reduction in the ongoing costs of owning printers.

· Microsoft is to clarify its pricing by introducing standard editions of Navision and Great Plains, the financial systems it acquired and turned into Microsoft Business Systems. Of interest primarily to the larger end of the small-to-medium business market, the systems are aimed at companies with between 25-99 employees and turnover of less than £25m per annum. The new versions of the systems will effectively be cut down to accommodate companies that don't need all of the flexibility and functions of the full-blown editions.

· 3Com has become one of the first companies to bring the new wireless networking standard, 802.11g, to the small business market with the introduction of the 3Com OfficeConnect Wireless 11g solution. Previewed at the Comdex America show this year, it offers everything a wireless network will do by default, but should also cover a greater distance while offering increased security over current standards. The speed is five times that of existing 802.11b systems. Kit should be shipping in the US by the time this issue sees print and will come to the UK shortly afterwards; US prices include $135 for the access point so we're not talking about anything expensive here.

· People needing fast access to backed-up files on the move will welcome news that Amacom has released an 80Gb version of its Flip2Disk. This is a pocket-sized (slightly smaller than a VHS tape but larger than a cigarette packet) shockproof unit that fits on to any computer with a USB port and configures itself as another hard drive. USB 2.0 users will find data transfer is much faster. The company's software, FlipBack, is also standard with the unit and will take a complete snapshot of your hard disk and put it onto your Flip2Disk unit. It costs £351 plus VAT.

· June was the worst month to date for recorded virus attacks. So says Via.Networks, both in terms of the density of infected emails and the number of new viruses being written. The figures suggest that whereas in May one mail in 420 was infected by a virus, during June that figure went up to one in 120. There were 24 new viruses in May compared to 35 in June. Bugbear-V was the most widely spread virus, and the information underlines the importance of not only installing antivirus software but of keeping it up to date.

· Epson has launched the EMP-SI, a projector it believes offers value to the typically cash-strapped small business community. The estimated retail price will be £999 including VAT (estimated because like all suppliers, Epson may not dictate pricing to its sales channel) which is significantly less than previous models have managed. It offers SVGA resolution and a 1200 ANSI Lumens brightness. It has a slot for its remote control and is very much designed for portability. It should be on the market from early August.