There is always a stir of fun stuff leading up to an announcement from Apple. Some people in the iPod accessory industry feel like it is a hurricane relief effort after Steve makes his announcements as we all ask ourselves “what current product is going to be compatible now?” Rumors fly all over the info-super highway, but behind the scenes we are triangulating these rumors weeks in advance with vendor partners so that when the announcement comes we pretty much have a good idea of what is going to work and what isn’t. It is because of our close relationships with these partners that we are able to provide the community with quick lists of what we are all going to want with the new products.

It is blog posts like this one on CNET that prompted me to give us and our partners a bit of kudos during the storm. Our vendors work hard to stay on top of what is about to change. Dr. Bott helps all the vendors figure that out more specifically as a collaborative effort, and the community gets a very fast list of products that will work as the dust settles from the announcements.

We have been setting SKUs up for a few weeks now, but some products are still missing as far as I am concerned. One of the hottest cases for iPhone 1G was the Elan Cork (Reseller Link) from Griffin. Man I love mine. It provides plenty of grip but still allows your phone to slip in and out of a pocket easily enough. Plus it is just one of the most unique cases anyone will ever see. The world should have these for the touch 2G and iPhone 3G. And Matias…where is our Armor (Reseller Link) series for the new nano 4G or the touch 2G? I want the world to have these things… it would be a more perfect place for all of us.

Although I did wait in a long line for my new iPhone, one of the cool things about working at Dr. Bott is that I never have to wait to try the latest and greatest iPhone cases our vendors are creating.

One of my favorites, (and really a favorite of everyone here at Dr.Bott), is the new Luxe Case for iPhone 3G (Reseller Link) by iFrogz.

You may have originally seen this case referred to as the Soft Touch when it hit our site, but it has a new name, and soon will be available in 7 different colors.

The Luxe is a beautifully designed hard plastic case, with a metallic finish and a velvet-soft outer texture. If you want protection, but don’t want to minimize the sleek design of your iPhone 3G, this is the case for you. It fits perfectly on the iPhone, adds almost zero bulk, and the edges around the screen don’t get in the way as you scroll through web pages, emails, and your applications.

If you are interested in stocking this case, but have yet to experience it first hand, be sure to give your Dr. Bott Account Rep a call and pick up a sample at our NFR pricing!

Tropical Software today announced it had been awarded 4 out of 5 mice by Macworld magazine in their “Summer of Mac Gems” series of reviews. TopXNotes (Reseller Link) was favored by the reviewer for its “clean, single window interface that puts controls for highlighting and marking up your text right at your fingertips,” as well as its exclusive QuickNotes feature.

QuickNotes allows access to any designated note from a convenient pop-down menu that floats in a small palette above other applications. TopXNotes was also praised for features that allow you to group related notes together, open multiple notes at once (still in the same, clean, one window interface!), and the ability to password protect notes, or mark them as “read only.”

“Note organizers are a highly competitive market,” said Tropical Software president James Lee. “We are thrilled Macworld has recognized the value of our unique and easy-to-use approach. “TopXNotes has also been highly rated by Macsimum News (9 out of 10), Version Tracker (5.0), and MacUpdate (5.0). Tropical Software also makes TopXNotes iPod — a version that allows you to seamlessly transfer your notes to your iPod so you will have them wherever you go. TopXNotes sells for $39.95.

I’m buying one – or two – or three. These are so cool. If you’re not familiar with the PowerSquid line from Flexity, let me give you a quick intro. PowerSquids are the best thing for surge protection since, well, surge protection. No more losing a plug or two to bulky AC adapters. Due to these products’ squid-like characteristics, each outlet is separate and flexible – much less constraining than the power strip norm.

I consider myself to be the average consumer. I have an HD TV, DVD player, latest gaming system, and a notebook computer. I need surge protection, but above all I just want a great outlet multiplier. The flexibility of the PowerSquids has been calling my name for quite some time, but the higher price point was beyond me. The new Surge and Outlet Multiplier lines match my needs at a price I can better handle.

Goodbye, anger over elephant sized AC adapters. Hello, freedom to surge-protect that new home theater system I had my eyes on.

I know that we have very anxious resellers waiting in line to get the FK103 OS X keyboards (Reseller Link) in from Matias (7022-OXKB). I just got a shipping confirmation from Matias and tracked enough cases of OSX Keyboards to fill ALL current backorders AND THEN SOME! Grab a bunch…

With Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about gifts for dad. Why go with the more traditional ties, tools and World’s Greatest Dad coffee mug when you can hook him up with something for his Mac, iPod or iPhone?

Here are just a few ideas that seem to fit the bill…

For Mac:

Marware CEO Envi for MacBook Air (Reseller Link): for the dad on the cutting edge.

Matias Folding Keyboard (Reseller Link): for the traveling dad.

Elgato EyeTV Hybrid 3 (Reseller Link): for dad to keep up with his TV shows.

For iPod:

Marware Sportsuit Convertible (Reseller Link): for the gym-bound dad.

iHome iH80B Single Speaker System (Reseller Link): for the dad who still likes to rock.

Case-mate Signature Suit (Reseller Link): for the dad with classic taste.

For iPhone:

Sena MagnetFlipper (Reseller Link): For the execu-dad.

H2O Audio Outdoor Case (Reseller Link): For the outdoorsy dad.

Belkin TuneCast Auto for iPod/iPhone (Reseller Link): for the commuting dad.

Have too much screen real estate and don’t know what to do with it? TubeStick Hybrid (Reseller Link) from equinux lets you watch TV on you Mac or PC while updating that boring spreadsheet.

Just plug TubeStick into your USB port and use the included The Tube software to watch and record digital and analog television signals. The Tube also allows you to pause live TV or schedule the recording of your favorite show. Once recorded, the video file can be sent to iTunes and synced up to play on your iPod.

TubeStick also comes bundled with a multi-tipped cord which gives you the ability to connect TubeStick to your digital cable or an analog device like camcorders or VCRs. A small, portable antenna is also included.

One feature that stands out from other USB TV capture devices is the ability to chat with your friends while you watch TV through the integrated TubeTalk software. You can rate TV shows and share your TV surfing habits with your friends.

For portable computer users, TubeStick’s combination of easy-to-use software and portability makes it a great addition to any laptop bag.

Your Mac is listening…

If you are running with an Intel-based Mac you can now dictate almost anywhere you can type, including word processors, chat applications, email apps, and much more. MacSpeech Dictate (Reseller Link) is the most advanced, easiest to use speech recognition solution for the Mac. With MacSpeech Dictate you can even control your Mac; just speak a command, and MacSpeech Dictate executes it - every time!

MacSpeech Dictate will astonish you with its accuracy. You do the talking and leave the recognition to MacSpeech Dictate. Its advanced capabilities require only a few minutes of training as it effortlessly learns your voice. With technology powered by Dragon from Nuance, the award-winning speech recognition engine, it produces the highest quality results possible today.

It includes a USB microphone and headset, and includes several English Language Models (North American, UK, Australian, Southeast Asian, Indian, US Teens).

MacSpeech Dictate YouTube Demo: http://www.youtube.com/v/MX1sS6lsQrc&hl=en

Last week we received stock of Belkin’s new TuneStudio (Reseller Link).  For those who don’t know, it’s a 4 channel mixer that records directly to a 5G, Classic, and 3G nano iPod, or to your computer.  At 16 bit 44.1kHz, it’s CD quality.  I took one home to give a run through the paces, recording drums, vocals, bass, acoustic guitar, piano and voiceovers.  It was great, simple, clear and easy to use.  The final test was to give it to my brother-in-law and his college buddies, who are musicians, not sound engineers.  They plugged it into their Mac and away they went, within 5 minutes it was up and running and they were recording 2 vocals, a guitar and a mandolin.  Belkin’s TuneStudio is a great recording device and mixer. It’s great at home, on the go, or on location.  At $249, it’s the best and easiest solution I have found to date for this type of work.

If you purchase Brenthaven notebook carrying cases (Reseller Link) from us, you know about the superb quality that goes into every product they produce. Brenthaven cases, which are virtually indestructible (and have a lifetime guarantee), offer the ultimate protection for your laptop while offering both comfort and style.

So what could make Brenthaven products even better? Now with their Zero Impact mission, they are producing high quality products while looking out for our planet. This new eco-friendly initiative aims to help protect your computer, your health, and our environment.

The goal of this new approach is to create high-quality laptop cases that have zero impact on your computer because of Brenthaven’s superior protection systems; zero impact on your health because Brenthaven’s lightweight cases and ergonomic designs make it comfortable to carry heavy loads, and zero impact on the environment because, through the company’s sustainable business practices, they will strive to offset any environmental impact their products have.

In 2008, Brenthaven has committed to taking several large strides in the direction of ‘Zero Impact’ including:

• Reducing packaging by over 100,000 boxes per year
• Transitioning to biodegradable or recyclable plastic bags which can be composted when no longer needed
• Printing all marketing materials on recycled paper and using soy based inks which are better for the environment
• Investing 5% of profits back into ‘green’ projects that positively impact our environment

Brenthaven has launched a number of new ‘Zero Impact’ products this year, with more still to come. Be sure to take a look at the new line on drbott.com, and tell your customers they can have ‘zero impact’ when they purchase that Brenthaven case!

For more on the Brenthaven ‘Zero Impact’ program, check out http://www.brenthaven.com/zeroimpact