MagicJack

[[LaW]Maverick]

www.magicjack.com

 

Thing is pretty sweet! $40 for the device, and $20 a YEAR after that! I mean--wow, you can't beat that. The only downside I've found is the advertising. Apparently they monitor what numbers you dial so that they can give you advertising that pertains more closely to stuff you'd actually be interested in (in theory).

 

I guess I really don't care of they monitor the numbers I call, and I don't really care if I have to put up with an on-screen advertisement on a window I plan on keeping minimized. I WILL care if it causes pop-ups or is invasive...so we'll see. I ordered a free trial and I will let you know how it goes.

 

 

It's pretty sweet though, 'cause if I get a North Canton number (local for me and available), I could take the device with me to China, plug in a phone, and still make and receive calls just as if I were at home. Not too shabby, eh?

[lazarus]

is this a pyramid scheme?

[stutters]

lol. so it's voip, minus the voip, plus the advertising (and the $40/20 per year).

[[LaW]Maverick]

Essentially, it's VOiP, but you can't get VOiP with an inbound number and 911 services for anywhere close to the price.

 

not only that, your phone number works wherever you have a broadband connection and a computer. I could bring my home phone number to FragFest and set it up in the hotel, for instance.

 

Sure you can get Skype In, but you have to pay a monthly fee, and you can't plug a regular old phone into your computer without some sort of peripheral device anyway.

[stutters]

yeah, this sounds (like a bad way to get spammed)

 

 

[ZeroDamage]

I use the Skype setup as my home phone. Cannot tell that it is VOIP and it is a lot cheaper than Vonage or a Land line.

[Tracid]

From what I heard about this MagicJack it sucks. (Read around forums)

[[LaW]Maverick]

I've read several forums/reviews/news articles on the thing--and some reviews are mixed. The biggest complaint I found is that there seems to be almost no customer support. That being said, the guy who has one here at work has tried it on about 5 different computers and it's worked perfectly on each (including my laptop)

 

I have the software on my laptop now from when he popped in the MagicJack, and I haven't received any spam or advertisements. I've also scanned my computer with three different services for Spyware and Viruses and found nothing. So far, so good I suppose, but I'll let you know how it ends up working out.

 

 

ZD, I was going to use Skype myself for a home phone--but this is even cheaper, and I occasionally have call quality issues with Skype (although it's extremely rare).

[ZeroDamage]

Call quality issues always arise when you are using VOIP. I just do not trust something that monitors what numbers I call and what I say and then advertise based on that. That to me is acceptable. People complained about Gmail and their scanning of the emails for targeted advertising. Analyzing the numbers I call and the words I say is far beyond that.

 

Let me add that I play 9 bucks a month for my Skype plan. It includes unlimited calling plan for the U.S.A. for 2.95 a month and 6 a month for the phone number so people can call me. I can also talk to my Dad in Iraq, my brother in Russia, and my sister in Afghanistan for free since they use Skype over there.

Edited August 22, 2008 by ZeroDamage

[[LaW]Maverick]

It doesn't monitor your conversations--just what numbers you dial. If it listened into my conversations, I wouldn't touch it.

 

I still use Skype, but I'm not going to pay for a Skype IN number if this thing works out nicely. I'm definitely a little skeptical still, but like I said, I'll let you know when I get it how it works out.

[[LaW]Maverick]

So I've been using the MagicJack for a couple of days and so far I'm about 98% satisfied. The call quality is better than Skype (which surprises me), and it works reliable thus far.

 

The ONLY problem I have with it is that the software dialer gets focus every time you pick up the phone or the phone rings. In other words--say I'm playing a full screen game...MagicJack essentially alt-tabs me so that its window is on top--thus minimizing my game.

 

Booo to that! That won't be much of an issue much longer though, because I'm going to get a little EeePC to run the thing so that I don't kill my electric bill with my gaming computer on 24/7.

 

 

So that's it--only one issue to report--so far so good.