Engadget's back to school guide 2012: docks and clocks

Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn't nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we have speaker docks in our sights -- and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here.

If there's any post-adolescent period that deserves its own soundtrack, it's your college years. Sure, our portable audio picks will let you jam on the go, but the best collegiate experiences are shared with friends -- and listening to music should be no exception. Even if you'd prefer to keep your playlist out of your friends' feed, be it in person or online, you'll still need to wake up each morning, and what better way to ease into the waking world than with your favorite tracks? These speaker docks offer more functionality than your average smartphone clock, and they're certainly better equipped to play DJ when it comes time to close the books. Join us past the break for our 2012 picks.

On the cheap

Logitech Clock Radio S400i

For such a reasonably priced product, this guy doesn't skimp on features. Dual-alarm settings accommodate different sleep schedules, a preset time function lets you drift off without worrying about silencing your tunes and Logitech's stereo sound makes those jams worth pumping.

Key specs: 3.5mm aux jack, iPhone and iPod support, weighs 3.4 pounds.

Price: $66 on Amazon

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Altec Lansing iMT630

For those on the iOS side of things, the iMT630 offers bass drivers to enhance low-end sound, and the rechargeable lithium-ion battery means you won't be tied to an outlet.

Price: $55 on Amazon

Philips docking speaker with Bluetooth for Android

Philips' docking speaker literally puts your phone on a pedestal with its platform design. The circular shape helps the Neodymium speakers provide omni-directional sound, too.

Price: $65 on Amazon

Mid-range

Sound Step Recharge Ghost

Yes, it's a speaker dock for your iPod or iPhone, but the Ghost also lets you stream music wirelessly over Bluetooth from any compatible device. The white design is all kinds of sleek and slinky, too.

Key specs: Six hours of battery life, 3.5mm aux jack, remote control app for iOS and Android, weighs 3.1 pounds.

Price: $149 on Amazon

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Pure Contour 100i

The WiFi-enabled 100i lets you access internet radio and stream music from your laptop and other connected devices. Though this speaker dock doesn't pack many surprises, its swiveling dock is nifty.

Price: $150 on Amazon

JBL OnTime Micro

Compatible with iPhones and iPods, the Micro lets you set up to seven independent alarms with the music of your choice, and the loudspeaker system allows for substantially loud sound.

Price: $80 on Amazon

Money's no object

Samsung DA-E750

A series of tubes adds up to something quite beautiful with the DA-E750, which uses glass fiber speakers, a built-in subwoofer and vacuum tubes to push out 100 watts of audio. But let's be serious here -- the real draw is that Ivy League-opulent mahogany trim.

Key specs: iPhone, iPod and Samsung Galaxy device support, AirPlay, AllShare, Bluetooth 3.0, USB Direct Play, remote control, weighs 5 pounds.

Price: $650 on Amazon

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Philips Docking Speaker

50 watts of power will keep you and a few dozen friends on the beat for hours at a time, and the included 3.5mm aux cable will let you connect any audio source. The downside is your roommates might hate you for the rich-kid setup, but the upside is they'll get to enjoy high-end sound engineering in a space age-worthy curved design.

Price: $294 on Amazon

Peachtree iNova Amplifier

Every dorm room needs that one pièce de résistance to salvage the bare-bones desk-and-bed setup, and what does the trick better than some minimalist audio gear? The iNova tacks on an iPod dock, but it's much more than a play-and-charge solution: it boasts an 80 watts-per-channel amplifier, a digital-to-analog converter and a class A headphone amplifier.

Price: $1,819 on Amazon

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