MAGICJACK

[JMS]

Keep your mind out of the gutter guys!
Its a little doohickey that plugs into a USB port to which you plug your phone into. the jack plus one year costs 40 dollars, after that it is 20 dollars a year. No more phone bills. you can call anyone anywhere as long as you have the intenet for only 20 a year, or at least thats what they say.

Question: Has anyone used this device? If so, do you like it? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

[kenneyty]

Can't you already do that for free with Skype?

[Jimbo]

I have not Mark, but it sounds like VOIP to me (voice over internet protocol). Kinda like Skype, but linking your telephone into it.

Voip is good from what I hear. But if you are prone to blackouts you will not have a phone, and if your internet drops out a lot you will not have a phone. Unless you keep your old phone connection as a backup. At least, that is how it works here in Aus. You chaps in the US are a tad more advanced than us yokels over here, so maybe I am off the mark.

James.

[Blade Wielder]

I...don't get it.

Where's the veiled conservative antagonism?

[JMS]

I...don't get it.

Where's the veiled conservative antagonism?

There is never veiled conservative antagonism! Its either in your face or its imagined!

[JMS]

Can't you already do that for free with Skype?

You can do skype but you have to sit at your computer for that. Plus the voice quality and the delay time that you get with skype is apparently not a problem with MAGICJACK..Ooh, I just get a tingle up my leg saying MAGICJACK! There you go BW, is that better?

[VeeDubb65]

One of my employees uses magicjack, and she loves it.

She says the calls are nice and clear, and it's very reliable for both incoming and outgoing phone calls. I can attest that this is certainly true from the other end, because I've called her from the office, and she's called the office from magicjack.

The advantages are:

1. Like all VOIP phone services, it's MUCH cheaper than a traditional phone line, especially if you use any meaningful amount of long distance.
2. Unlike Skype, you can can actually have your own local phone number with unlimited incoming and outgoing calls.
3. It's about $5/month cheaper than the competition (Vonage)
4. Because it's a small device that plugs into a USB port, it is much more portable than other VOIP systems. Anywhere you can take a laptop and get an internet connection, you can have your home phone line.

The disadvantages are:

1. Like all VOIP systems, it is dependent on your internet connection, and generally speaking, more internet providers are still less reliable than standard phone communication
2. Like all VOIP systems and home phone lines, it's more or less superfluous if you already have a cell phone and live in an area with good coverage. I just heard on the news last week, that as of this year, there are more households in the US with cell service only (including mine) than there are with landlines only.
3. Unlike some of the other VOIP services, it has no free standing box that stays connected to your network. It only functions while plugged into your computer, and your computer must be on, and connected to the internet which may be a big downside for some people.
4. Because it must be plugged into your computer to work, it is not a practical replacement for cell phones, but then again, neither is any other kind of VOIP system.

Ultimately, if the $5 a month extra for Vonnage is a deal breaker, or if you want to use it while traveling in addition to a cell phone (but not as a replacement for one) then it's a great deal. Otherwise, I'd go with Vonage so you don't have to keep your computer on to use it. Or better yet, spend the extra $20/month to upgrade your cell service to an unlimited plan and just have one phone number.

[kenneyty]

Uh...didn't you say you had to hook it up via USB? Or am I missing the point? Does your cell call your computer?

[JMS]

Uh...didn't you say you had to hook it up via USB? Or am I missing the point? Does your cell call your computer?

There is such a thing as cordless phones these days Sir.

[VeeDubb65]

Uh...didn't you say you had to hook it up via USB? Or am I missing the point? Does your cell call your computer?

Magicjack has nothing to do with cell phones.

You connect your computer to the internet with your broadband connection.

You plug magicjack into your computer.

You plug a traditional home-phone into the magicjack, instead of plugging it into a phone jack on the wall from the phone company.

The idea is to replace your home phone service with a VOIP connection. (VOIP=Voice Over Internet Protocol)

This is a good way to go for people who must have a home phone line for whatever reason, and are already paying for high speed internet from some source other than the phone company such as cable internet, or dedicated fiber optic like I have.