A new study has estimated ow much digital information# is zipping around–hint: it’s a lot.

The report, assembled by the technology research firm IDC, sought to account for all the ones and zeros that make up photos, videos, email, Web pages, instant messages, phone calls and other digital content cascading through our world today. The researchers assumed that an average digital file gets replicated three times.

Add it all up and IDC determined that the world generated 161 billion gigabytes–161 exabytes–of digital information last year.

ATP Electronics announced the latest addition to its flash storage solution lineup with the 300X ProMax II CompactFlash card along with the new 8GB SDHC (SD High Capacity) card. The 300X (up to 45MB/sec) ProMax II CompactFlash is designed specifically to maximize the performance of current and next generation DSLR cameras by optimizing write transfer speeds for high resolution continuous shooting.

The 8GB SDHC can store over 2.5 hours of HD quality digital video or almost 2,000 10-megapixel digital photos on a single card and is rated at Class 6, the highest speed class available.

Back in December, we included a number of helpful Dremel tools in our holiday gift list articles. However, it was pointed out that we’ve never formally reviewed or rated the various tools we discussed in those articles. Dremel-style tools are incredibly useful around the computing shop. Here, then, is our formal review of three cool tools.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

Proporta has released their Advanced Screen Protectors and trademark Alu-Leather case for the E-TEN Glofiish.

DDH Software announced that its HanDBase relational database application is now available to mobile users owning Symbian UIQ handsets, including popular devices like the Sony-Ericsson P800, P900, P910, Motorola A1000 and others. This version of HanDBase comes with a desktop version that enables users to create and manage their information before transferring the data to their mobile devices for anytime/anywhere access and data entry.

The rate of identity theft-related fraud has risen sharply since 2003, a report from research firm Gartner suggests.

Gartner’s study shows that from mid-2005 until mid-2006, about 15 million Americans were victims of fraud that stemmed from identity theft, an increase of more than 50 percent from the estimated 9.9 million in 2003.

It should be noted that the 2003 statistics and the mid-2006 statistics came from two different sources–and hence, two different statistical methodologies.

Keyspan announced that updated firmware is now available for its TuneView for iPod, a remote with color LCD screen and 2-way RF connectivity that allows you to browse and manage an iPod throughout your house or office.

The update increases scrolling speed, adds an ability to jump to a specified first letter within a large list, and improves overall wake-from-sleep performance.

Palm and Claro announced the availability of the Treo 680 smartphone in Peru. The Treo 680 GSM/GPRS/EDGE quad-band world phone, running on the Palm OS, boasts Palm’s hallmark ease of use. Slim, compact, and packed with features beyond its stellar phone capability–such as email, Web browsing, messaging, multimedia, calendar, contacts and more–the Treo 680 will keep any user productive.

Palm has increased its commitment to China with a three-tiered advance into the rapidly growing market. The company announced the following:

— cooperation with China Mobile Communications Corporation, the world’s largest mobile operator, with more than 240 million subscribers;

— the establishment of Palm’s first Research & Development and Operations Center in the Asia Pacific region; and

— the launch of the new Palm(R) Treo(TM) 680 smartphone in cooperation with CEC Telecom Science and Technology Co., Ltd. (CECT) and Treo 680 distribution partner, Beijing Riverwill Communication Technology Co. Ltd. (Riverwill).

The announcements will greatly extend Palm’s presence in China and advance the company’s goal of worldwide geographic and demographic growth.

Mobile messaging services provider TynTec announced a deal with Skype to provide high-quality SMS delivery for their 171 million users.

TynTec’s deep-level access to the global mobile telecoms infrastructure will support Skype SMS, a feature that lets Skype users to send SMS messages directly from their computers to mobile phones anywhere in the world.