Buy Magic Jack Now

magicJack working with magicFCC and magicCarriers on magicFemtocell

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 22nd 2009 at 3:48PM

From pcmag.com

BOTTOM LINE:
So simple it’s almost perfect, the magicJack is the best home voice-over-IP gadget I’ve seen to date. Excellent call quality, a workable set of calling features, and an amazing price make this little box the VoIP wonder to beat.

PROS:
Nice price. Good set of calling features. Softphone capability included. Simple enough to be idiot-proof.

CONS:
Only one line (and phone number) per magicJack for now. No Linux drivers.

COMPANY: 
Ymax Corp.

Editor’s Note (2/05/09): New firmware and hardware have been released (and many readers wrote in to tell us about tech support and billing problems) since this piece was published, so we’ve published a new review of magicJack for winter 2009.

 

Those commercials advertising cheap voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone rates look appealing, but there’s always some fine print: You have to switch cable-TV providers, install a VoIP-smart Internet router, or something. And you end up ticked once a month when the bill from MCI, Verizon, or some other telecom robber baron dips into your wallet. If this sounds like your bio, the YMax magicJack is for you: 2 minutes of setup, voice quality that’s almost indistinguishable from a straight analog POTS line, and a cost of just under $20 a year for unlimited nationwide service. When I was testing it in December 2007, the service offered phone numbers in about 90 percent of the country. International calling wasn’t available at test time, though it should be in the next few months. Pricing will be determined based upon phone rates at that time, though YMax says its mandate is to make international calling cheaper than any rate you can get with either Skype or Vonage.

 

The magicJack device, about the size of a box of Tic Tacs, has a USB plug on one end and an RJ-11 phone jack on the other. I had to connect mine to a Windows PC, but Mac OS X drivers should be ready soon. After USB plug meets USB port, you’ll wait a minute or so while the magicJack software gets automatically loaded. Those who already have magicJack will be happy to know that the company says a firmware rev released while I was testing makes the hardware more resilient to problems caused by fluctuating electrical levels in foreign countries. It also installs hardware echo control, which taxes your CPU about 50 percent less than before.

If this is your first time using the device, you’ll have to run through a registration process. You either request a new number or ask to have your existing number ported (porting availability depends on where you are, takes up to 60 days, and has a $10 surcharge attached); then you input the information necessary to make e911 work (so that emergency services know where you’re calling from). The process should force you off the couch for 60 seconds or so, but that’s it: no phone configuration, no Internet router tweaks. Low-tech folks who just want a cheap phone can just plug a regular analog phone into the magicJack’s RJ-11 port and start dialing.

Those who want a little more will find a fairly impressive array of features in the magicJack software, including caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and voice mail that will respond even if you’re not online. The software supplies a softphone that works through a headset and microphone connected to your PC. Compared with business VoIP, this might be a light feature set, but for home users it’s plenty.

Your PC plays a significant part in the service—as in no calls without one. That made me balk at first, thinking that a PC had to be on constantly to make this work. But while technically that’s true, the magicJack’s ability to pick up voice mail even while you’re offline means that your PC can be off while you’re at work or away, since you wouldn’t be there to answer phone calls anyway. And, as with any VoIP service, magicJack doesn’t care where you’re connecting to the Internet as long as the service is broadband. So if your software is installed on a notebook, you can take your home phone with you. And YMax says that in the near future a firmware upgrade will use remote wake-up (a feature that most motherboards support these days) to power up your PC when a call comes in.

MagicJack’s call quality is amazing—almost too good to be true. YMax reps say they can deliver such great sound because they built the operation as a straight phone company rather than an Internet voice provider. YMax worked to become the only such company certified in all 50 states, which, its reps claim, allows it more gateways linking the Internet and the telcos than any other voice provider has. That means it maintains control of calls much longer than a regular VoIP provider, which in turn translates into high call quality. I have no way of verifying the company’s infrastructure claims, but the voice quality speaks for itself.

What worried me is that this network sounds expensive, yet YMax is charging so little. That’s how SunRocket got killed. Then again, magicJack customer base was growing at 30 percent a week while the product was still in beta, according to the company, so maybe I’m worried about nothing. And after all, should the service go belly up, you still have alternatives: It’s not as if the telecom robber barons will disappear. Bottom line: The magicJack is the coolest little home VoIP gadget I’ve seen to date, and for less than $40, everybody should try it.

From Computerworld.com

By Robert L. Mitchell

I’m trying to save money by shopping around my telephone, television and Internet service in two locations. Currently I pay $118 for those services at one location and $60 at the other. To my family that’s a lot of money. We’d like to cut back.

This week I’m looking at VoIP alternatives for my land line telephone service.

The Phone Company

Sticking with what works is the easiest option for most people. It may also be the least expensive if you don’t have or want broadband Internet service, which is needed to support competing voice over IP (VoIP) options. But if you already have broadband, you’ve got other options to think about. My plain old telephone services includes unlimited local dialing for about $23 per month, excluding taxes and fees. Packages with extra features and long distance calling are much more expensive, however, so I get my long distance from Pioneer Telephone.

One nice thing about Pioneer: It doesn’t charge a monthly base fee for the service if you pay electronically (otherwise it’s $.99 per month – much better than the $5 per month most telephone companies charge). I pay 2.7 cents per minute for long distance out of state. In-state calls are 7.5 cents per minute. Of course, we could also use calling cards for about 1 cent per minute, but they’re inconvenient. We have them but don’t always use them.

Magic Jack

Magic Jack is the cheapest VoIP alternative I looked at. At $20 per year it appears that users are getting something for almost nothing. So what’s the catch? There’s no free lunch.

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Magic Jack’s VoIP service gives users unlimited local and long distance calling in the U.S. for $20 per year. To get started you must buy special hardware: a small device, available online or from retailers such as Radio Shack, that attaches to a USB port on any computer. Total up front cost: $40. You then plug a single telephone into the device. Once you’ve signed up for service, Magic Jack assigns you a telephone number and activates your account. From there you supposedly just plug the device in to get dial tone.

Magic Jack offers a few basic features, including call waiting, voice mail online, caller ID and three-way calling. It also offers free directory assistance – something other services charge for to the tune of $1 or more per call.

The device has the advantage of portability. You can bring your phone anywhere where there’s a computer with broadband connectivity and make and receive calls. On the downside, your phone is tethered to your computer, which must be on at all times. And if you have power saving standby or sleep mode configured you’ll have to disable them to receive incoming calls. That’s a hidden cost. Not using power saving mode increases your computer’s electricity consumption to the tune of $14 to $45 per year.

With other services, such as Vonage or Comcast’s Digital Voice, you get a box that can power all of the phones in your house. You (or a technician if you use Comcast) disconnect the twisted pair feed coming in from the telephone company at the termination point (a plastic box mounted on the side of your home of office). Then you connect the VoIP-enabled device to any telephone wall jack to energize your telephone wiring. Voila! All of your existing telephone extensions will work. Magic Jack doesn’t do that. You can still have multiple phones, but with only one jack in the house you’ll need one of those cordless units with multiple hand sets.

Another consideration, as I learned after an ice storm last winter, is that VoIP products don’t work when there’s no electricity. While Comcast’s VoIP service includes a backup battery that keeps you going for a few hours, Magic Jack has no such backup.

While other services can “port” or transfer over your existing telephone number, Magic Jack cannot. And in some areas of the country, such as New Hampshire, the company can’t even assign the user a local telephone number.

Perhaps the biggest drawback is Magic Jack’s support, which is limited to online chat through its Web site. Ironically, Magic Jack, which offers telephone service to its customers, has no public phone numbers you can call. Is that level of support adequate for your telephone? Judging by the number of complaints about Magic Jack from frustrated customers, including this Boston Globe reporter, this is a problem.

Magic Jack is cheap, but I can’t rely on it as a land line replacement. As a product it seems to fall more into the toy or novelty category — and it’s marketed in that way. Its Web site is a bit cheesy, with gimmicky come-ons and no e-mail, business address or telephone numbers you can call. It could save me money as a supplemental service for long distance calling if I made a lot of long distance calls from my land line. But I don’t, and the service, tied to one phone on an always-on computer — isn’t exactly convenient.

From voip2u.org

Magic Jack has now released a beta trial for use with Intel Mac computers.  However, according to the official magicJack website, neither customer nor technical support is yet available for mac installations, so proceed at your own risk.  This MAC beta version is only compatible with Intel based Macs with OS (operating systems) higher than 10.4.11 and higher.  You can have a 10.4.10 OS, but it must have kernal 8.10.3 or higher.  To find which OS and Kernal version you have, follow this path on your Mac computer:

Apple Icon > About This Mac > More Info > Software

It boggles the mind why magicJack would release new software to use their product without providing any support for it at all. But, if you’re the adventurous type and don’t mind blowing 40 bucks, give it a try! They will probably build their support and FAQ around solving the real problems customers have with the Mac beta.  Maybe they’ll have a special web page for feedback on this release?  You will need to have your Magic Jack device plugged into a Windows PC to download the Mac upgrade.  Once that is downloaded, then you can plug your MagicJack into your Mac computer.  To download the Magic Jack Mac Beta from the offical website, go here: 

http://www.magicjack.com/4/mac.asp

As with a PC, you will need to leave your computer on to make and receive phone calls through your magicJack. Give it a good try-out, at least a few months before dumping your regular land line phone service.  You do need to keep another phone service to make sure you always have a viable 911 service in case of emergencies. 

If you have used the Magic Jack Mac Beta successfully or even unsuccessfully, please give us some idea of your experience with it in the Comments below.

From voip2u.org

I’ve had emails from visitors wanting to know how to use the Softphone Screen that appears when you install Magic Jack so I thought I would write an explanation of how it works.  The red numbers you see on the Screen below designate the different areas of the Softphone Screen that we are going to discuss, these numbers do not appear on the Softphone Screen on your computer.

1.  This is the area on the left of the Softphone where you will see rotating messages from Magic Jack about their services.  Any updates will also show here, such as when new area codes are added to the service.  If the area code that you want is not available when you first get your Magic Jack, you’re allowed to change your area code free once that area code becomes available.

2.  The center top of the Softphone Screen displays your Magic Jack phone number that has been assigned to you just under “Ready to call”.  There are also three buttons for Yahoo, AOL and Weather, which if clicked, will open up your browser to Yahoo.com, AOL.com and Weather.com.

3.  The Magic Jack Phonebook will store your contacts that you enter and also the calls that you have made or received with your Magic Jack.  By clicking on Contacts, a menu appears where you can edit or delete your contacts.  Clicking on calls displays your recent calls and Favorites will display the sites you have saved in Favorites in Internet Explorer.

4.  Buttons for Redial which calls the last number dialed; Voice Mail, which will dial your number and then prompt you for your password to access your Voice Mail.  When setting up your Voice Mail, use the password 1234, and then change it immediately to another 4-digit number.  The 411 button will open your web browser to this website:  free411.com which is a free telephone lookup directory.  Clicking on the Google button will open up your web browser to Google.com.

5.  When installing your Magic Jack, you will be prompted to enter your physical address for their 911 service.  You may add more than one address if you will be using your Magic Jack in different locations.  If you will be using the Magic Jack 911 service, be sure to have your correct physical location selected at all times. Also have a back-up way to call 911 in case your internet service goes down, as your Magic Jack phone will not work during these times.

6. Phone key pad on the Magic Jack SoftScreen.  You may use your phone to dial a number or the Softphone Screen can be used by clicking the buttons with your mouse.

7.  If using the Softphone Screen to dial a phone number, you click “Send” to call the number, and “End” to hang up when you are finished with your call.  The number you have dialed, whether using your telephone or the Softphone Screen will show in the white area.

8.  Change the size of the Softphone Screen by clicking on “Big” or “Small” in the upper right corner.  The Softphone Screen can be minimized by clicking on the button with the “-” located to the right of the “Big” or “Small” button.  The Menu button lets you access different features for your phone, such as “Do Not Disturb” which will send all calls directly to Voice Mail for you.

Now you know all about your Magic Jack Softphone Screen so you can use your new service to its greatest capacity.