I think we can all agree that the iPhone 4 (and 4s) protective case market has kinda blown up. Every tool with half-an-idea of how to use a molding machine has put their 2 cents into the case market. Thankfully… if you look hard enough… you can see through the raging pile of crap and find a few winners.

Case in point… we recently discovered the LostDog Super slim Protective Hard Case ($30). As far as the basic design of the Lost Dog case it’s not over-the-top spectacular. It does what most do… offers up a little protection for those extra buttery popcorn drop days and has holes in all the right places for all the right things. But then you start noticing the little wow factors… the things that really allow it to stand apart!

Let start with style! Lost Dog really leaps into the art scene with it original designs inspired by Aurele, a renowned French post-industrial artist, the Lost Dog is the metaphor for people of this generation.

“We are all lost dogs,” said Aurele, “wandering and lonely, lost in political and media oppression, disease, pollution … The Lost Dog art pieces remind us to love, to share, to commit, to be brave, and to take care of our environment. They also alert us not to be tied down by unnecessary constraints, to free ourselves from psychological and material boundaries.”

Yawn… oh, sorry. All cheesy art crap aside, their designs all use this cute little mutt… and are actually pretty cool. Check them all out HERE.

Now let’s talk about design. The particular case that I easily snapped in place was the “I am not here to be upset” (no really, that’s its name) which is a cool, mostly white, case (insert finger pointing to the right).

The #1 most important thing about this case is that it is HELLA SMALL!!! Other than the design, it is damn near invisible. It hugs the contours and shape of the iPhone 4 (and 4s) so well that you can hardly see it. And it does it while still offering up the “antennae buffer” needed to keep your chubby digits from covering up your signal strength.

The #2 most important thing that this does, which MANY other case designers oddly overlook… Lost Dog covers your phones ass without taking away your ability to dock up! That’s right, this will allow you to use any of your awesome music docks (we recommend THIS or THIS). I can’t even tell you how many cool looking cases completely F’ed up my ability to use an audio dock. And when you drop $400-ish on a dock… well, that’s just stupid! Anyway… these guys designed a fantastic case that will not steal your audio power.

So… we like it. It’s a wonderfully designed look on a tiny protective body that let’s you plug it in. So what didn’t we like? (I’ll tell you after a few more pics)

The only bad thing we could really find was how slick the case is. And no, not 70’s era lame approval version of “slick”… I mean set it on my center console while driving and it slides down between the seats every time I turn “slick”. Not a horrible thing, but something you definitely need to be aware of when taking tight corners at 40+mph. Hey… the WGUB doesn’t slow down for ANYONE… ANYTIME! To combat this issue.. they do also have leather and microfiber offerings.

Overall… cool case, def worthy of your money and good times.

For a sneak peak of a few new designs they’re kicking out… click below for a bigger pic: