1. I can charge my phone simply by plugging it into my laptop.  My phone can automatically charge via the data connection, but the miniSync also includes a power plug.  There isn't room on the phone for both of them to be connected at the same time, but that's probably nothing to worry about.

2. With (separate) software, I can synchronize my phonebook with my laptop.  It's nice not to have to type everything in via my phone.  It also makes it easy to pull of my work numbers in. 

3. With (separate) software, I can connect to the Internet via my phone.  Spiffy.  And here's the amazing part.  I'm able to connect at around 300Kbps -- even faster than a regular land-line.

I was actually surprised to see a cable available for the Samsung A600.  When I looked a few months ago, I couldn't find any.  But it appears that the same cable fits multiple models.  The cable I received was actually labeled for use by the Samsun A620

The software I used was SnapDialer and SnapSync.  The software works fine, but it's very generic.  I bet there's other cheap or free versions out there.