I actually like this little docking station a lot. Yeah, it requires a separate cable, but that's a minor point, since I always buy extra cables for business travels.One thing I'd like to clarify is that both charging and synchronization DO INDEED OCCUR when the docking station is connected to my notebook computer, so I completely disagree with one of the criticisms noted in J. Bailey's prior review. See my comments on that specific review for more specific details (i.e., click the "Comment" link below that review.)Some of the things that I really like about this dock are listed below:1) The upright position of the dock allows easy viewing of the phone's screen while charging. (Cable-only chargers usually force you to lay a phone flat on a table or desktop.)2) The tight fit of the phone in the docking station actually supports the phone well enough to allow typing of quick inputs without removing the phone from the dock and disconnecting the charge/sync process (e.g., answering a call using the speakerphone feature, dismissing or rescheduling a reminder... things that you don't really think about until an event occurs when the phone is connected and you have to quickly decide what to do).3) It accommodates both regular and extended-life batteries, and allows both the battery inside the phone and a spare battery outside of the phone to charge simultaneously. This is VERY important to me, since I use extended-life batteries, and I always carry a spare with me. So when I return home, I simply plug in the phone and pop my spare into the charging slot behind it. (Cable-only chargers usually only charge the single battery inside the phone, and don't have any way of easily accommodating spares.) If you only use a single battery and never remove the phone's battery cover (like a sealed iPod or iPhone), then this probably isn't an important consideration for you.One thing I've noticed after buying my Moto Q is that I eventually discarded protective skins as too impractical, because I often swap batteries throughout the day when one of them gets low. I eventually tossed all of the protective skins and now just use the phone as is, so the tight fit of the phone within the dock is not an issue for me. (I prefer it this way, since it provides better support when making quick inputs without disconnecting.)Bottom line: The more I use this little docking station, the more I appreciate some of the subtle design features that the Motorola engineers incorporated into it... features that I never actually considered when I originally purchased it.If this product came with a charging cable, I'd definitely give it 5 stars, but without a cable, it gets 4 stars.