What is Magic Jack?
Mary Anne Asked:
I’m calling about this Magic Jack phone that’s on, advertised on TV and, it’s in the Internet. Its sounds to good to be true and… It supposed to be 39 something, to start out and then its like $19 a year. You get long distance, local calling, free plug it in to usb at home, to phone. And… anyway I just want to find out maybe you can find out if this is on you know, on the level of cause I’m considering ordering it.
We Found:
Magic Jack Internet Phone is a revolutionary newcomer to VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) technology. Popularity has grown for Internet voice telephone calls in the past few years as the cost is significantly cheaper than the traditional phone companies.
Magic Jack Pros
• Low cost to try out. For $39.95 plus shipping and handling, you receive the USB device and the license to use it for unlimited local and long distance calling for one year. Each additional year is $19.95. There are also multi-year packages to purchase at a discount.
• International calls can be free if you are calling someone who also has the device. For example, if you have a family member that lives in another country, you can purchase a Magic Jack and mail it to them. Then you can call them for free and they can call anywhere in the US and Canada free.
• Includes many features such as voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, 411 and 911.
• Save on your cell phone minutes by using it to make calls from home.
• Uses any ordinary land-line telephone, including cordless phones. Headsets and your computer microphone and speakers can also be used.
Magic Jack Cons
• Your computer has to be turned on to use Magic Jack.
• Service can be intermittent. New company with growing pains, I don’t recommend relying on it for your only phone.
• Directory assistance, or 411 is advertising based if you call it from your phone. If clicking on the soft phone screen that lives on your desktop, you are taken to a web site to look up phone numbers.
• 911 is through a different system than the 911 you call from a regular telephone. When setting up your Magic Jack it will ask you the physical location of your phone in case of calling 911. Until this service is a lot more stable, I would not rely on their 911 in an emergency. Another reason for keeping your land-line phone.
• If your Internet service does not work during a power outage, you will be without this phone service also. Unless you have a cell phone that will work, this is another reason not to cancel your land-line phone service. Make sure you keep a phone that doesn’t use electricity on hand for emergencies.
As with most or all voip services, you must have a high speed Internet connection to use this service. These services include broadband, DSL, WiFi, FIOS, cable Internet or WiMax. It is not recommended for use with satellite Internet.
For more information, visit http://www.magicjack.com/9/index.asp
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