A new case company, LifeProof Cases, has officially launched with a few new cases for Apple products. While the concept is similar to that of the Ballistic case we reviewed, LifeProof’s case seems to be a much better attempt. It promises to “life proof” your iPhone from water, dirt, snow, and shock, and does so without the bulk of other ultra protective cases I’ve tried.

There are hundreds of cases available that offer several methods of keeping you and your iPhone happy throughout the day. The majority simply protect your device, but there are a growing number of options to keep your iPhone topped up with juice, and that’s what the Fuel Lite case from Case-Mate aims to do. We had a chance to play with one at this year’s Gadget Show Live event in the UK, and we were quite impressed.

A few weeks ago, I took a look at some hard shell cases for the iPhones 3G and 3GS. Those tend to be the pretty ones, since it’s easier to be fashionable when you’re not worried about bending. But there are many people out there who’d rather protect their $200 to $300 phone than show it off like a well-coifed purse poodle. It’s to you kings and queens of the road that I dedicate this review.

Last month, we took a look at iPhone 3G/S slim cases, as some people just don’t want to add much bulk to their iPhone. But the problem with slim cases is that, by design, they sacrifice protection and functionality. For those who who’d rather keep their iPhone safe than slim, here’s our latest roundup of hard shell cases built specifically for your peace of mind.

When it comes to the iPhone, there are two types of cases: actually, that’s not at all true. There’s a ridiculous number of types of cases. And since I’m not about to base an entire roundup review on a faulty premise, we’ll just pretend I never said that and get right to the review. Here, we’re looking solely at thin cases for the iPhone 3G and its “S”ister.