As we all know, with most too-good-to-be-true offers, there’s a catch. Infomercials touting the benefits of VoIP (or Voice-over Internet Protocol) are no exception. The fine print usually contains a clause requiring the user to install expensive routers, switch provider services or endure other hassles. Surprisingly, the magicJack is one product that seems to be excluded from these tribulations. If you have a home computer and a broadband connection, you can free yourself from phone bills.
The set-up process takes just a few minutes. After downloading the magicJack software, a person plugs any household phone into the magicJack, and then plugs the magicJack into the USB port of a computer. From there, a person can pick up the phone and dial normally to connect to anyone in the U.S. or Canada. The other party is not required to have a magicJack, and they can talk on a regular telephone or cell phone. Though the user's computer does need to be turned on in order to make or receive calls, the monitor and hard drive can be turned off (via the Windows control panel) to save power. Also, a person can work on the computer normally when the magicJack is in use without losing data. Currently, the magicJack supports Windows XP and Vista operating systems, with a Mac version of the device expected to launch soon.
Included with the $39.95 cost of the magicJack is a phone number for receiving free calls from anywhere in the world, a one-year license to use the magicJack for calls to the U.S. and Canada, and a USB extension cord. Normal calling features like voicemail, 411 and caller ID are also included. Emergency 911 calls are supported - though the company notes that magicJack may not work during an Internet or power outage (so it’s a good idea to have a backup cell phone in the house). Although magicJack does not yet offer worldwide free long distance, registered users can purchase international calling minutes through their online magicJack accounts. And magicJack customers can make calls to the U.S. and Canada from any international location that has internet service.
MagicJack was invented by telecommunications expert Dan Borislow, who has long been an advocate of low-cost telecommunications. Based in West Palm Beach, Fla., Borislow’s company launched magicJack nationwide only recently. Accolades, including PC Magazine’s Editors' Choice Award, have poured in ever since. MagicJack offers a 30-day, risk-free trial period for new subscribers. Ordering information for the invention is available online at the magicJack Web site.
