Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide ! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’ve got docks and alarms 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

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Engadget’s back to school guide: docks and alarms

We’ve been trying to find out when HP would launch a webOS tablet since the company first bought Palm , and we’re now hearing from several trusted sources that it’ll be calendar Q1 2011. We’re told Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley mentioned the date during an all-hands employee meeting yesterday, and that the project is indeed known internally as “Hurricane.” (We’re assuming this is what that PalmPad trademark filing was for, but we can’t confirm that.) Shipping a killer tablet would be one way to change the subject from ex-CEO Mark Hurd’s recent troubles , we suppose — but we’re definitely wondering if HP is actually going to support three different tablet operating systems after it launches the Windows 7-based Slate for the enterprise and the Android-based Zeen e-reader tablet for consumers as well. We’ll see — Q1 could be mighty interesting

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HP tells employees webOS tablet coming Q1 2011

We know what you’re thinking: not another iPod / iPhone speaker dock . Maybe, but it’s way more than that if you listen to Logitech describe it. According to the boys from Cali, the $149.99 S715i “sounds like a beast” with 8 custom-designed, laser-tuned speaker drivers that deliver “next generation,” “professionally tuned acoustics” capable of “filling a room” with “bold sound.” So yeah, it’s just another iPod speaker dock, although that 8-hour rechargeable battery is nice

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Logitech S715i rechargeable iPod / iPhone speaker unleashes next generation hyperbole

Onkyo , known in these parts for everything from digiframes to a rather wild selection of PCs, has announced a set of compact audio systems aimed at the audiophile (though to be fair, Onkyo’s definition of “audiophile” might be different than our own). For the well-heeled consumer, the CS-1045DAB (pictured after the break) sports 70W (x2) output, three analog and both optical and coaxial SPDIF inputs, a front-mounted USB port, VLSC Vector Linear Shaping Circuit tech, and a 24-bit Burr-Brown DAC. Score! Available at the end of August for

So, the iA100ZE iPad dock isn’t anywhere in the same league as the iTar . To be fair, you can’t fault iHome for trying to stir up some interest in an over-saturated market by strapping an iPad onto a fairly typical FM radio / alarm clock / dock

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iHome iA100ZE iPad alarm dock raises questions, supplies few answers

It certainly looks like Aptera co-founder is Chris Anthony is intent on making a name for himself with his own company, Epic Boats , which has recently be renamed Epic Electric Vehicles to better suit its more ambitious goals. That now includes the announcement of two new land vehicles: the fairly standard looking Epic Amp all terrain vehicle, and the three-wheeled Epic Torque (pictured above), which will reportedly cost around $22,000 and $35,000, respectively, and are both set to go into production this fall at Louisiana-based Caddo Manufacturing. That expansion has also now prompted quite a hiring spree — the company says it’s bringing on 200 new employees immediately and will eventually hire nearly 500 altogether, and adds that the manufacturing should also create about 1,500 indirect job in the area

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Aptera co-founder expands Epic Boats beyond boats, spurs hiring spree

The Droid 2 ’s been leaking out all over the place in the past few weeks, but it looks like it’ll be another month before it officially hits shelves — we just got these shots from a packaging facility that’s handling the phone, which puts it right on schedule for that rumored August 23rd launch . We’re also told that the phone will definitely ship with an 8GB microSD card, and that pricing appears to be $199 on contract and $599 standalone, although those numbers could change. Just a few short weeks left, we suppose — although give the rate at which this thing is leaking, we’re thinking Motorola and Verizon might do well to push that date up a couple weeks

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Droid 2 being prepared for launch, set to arrive August 23rd?

Okay, this one’s a complete and very welcome surprise — some extremely blurry pictures and a quick video of what appears to be a smaller Motorola portrait QWERTY Android slider for Verizon just popped up on the Chinese Hiapk forums — and yes, it’s got the glowing red Droid eye. We’re not sure if that means the Droid line is about to get a smaller midrange sibling or what, but Motorola’s definitely pushing out some of the more interesting Android form factors lately, and this mini Droid certainly fits right in with the Flipout and the Charm .

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Motorola mini Droid slider caught by Mr. Blurrycam

We know — you need another iPod sound system about as bad as you need another mortgage, but why leave any one room lacking, right?

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Altec Lansing serves up angular Octiv Mini iPod / iPhone sound system

Hey, you know that whole Silent Hill design theme you’ve been aiming for, with the faceless nurse mannequins scattered about and the constantly running fog machine? We think we’ve found a coffee table for you. It’s (naturally) called the Horus and its made of “ultra-high performance concrete,” offering a spot for you to dock your iPod or iPhone on top, a pair of speakers down below, and an illuminated glass plane bisecting the thing

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Horus coffee table/iPod dock will make friends question your sanity