* You can put an iPad on here, it's just not stable.
* I put my phone with a Speck case on it all the time.
* I have also used a 3G, 3GS, iPod Touch, and all three versions of iPad on it (I'm a developer, not an addict).
* The sound is good.
* The speakers are not visible.
* Even the iPad will charge on this.
* There's an app for this device that lets you configure the radio and alarms. When you plug your device in, it will prompt you to download it (it sucks, though; D-Sappli or something like that).
My biggest complaint about this device is that after using it for some weeks/months it starts to get hard to get it to recognize my phone and other devices. While they charge, I find I have to tilt the device to and fro a lot to get the alarm to pick up that it's there, and the slightest nudge and it disappears again. Given Sony's 90-day warranty, you're SOL by the time this happens.
Otherwise, it's really good. The radio is nice, there are dual alarms that can be radio presets or the iDevice, and I use it everyday.
Pick it up cheap while you can if you have 30-pin devices that you want to keep using in the future, even as "backup" devices or home audio toys.
Oh, and for the new devices: it has an AUX in on the back, too.