MAGICJACK : 12-MONTHS LATER…

Well, it’s been a full year. My subscription expired yesterday. I wrote the following back when I first received the "as seen on TV" gadget that looked pretty amazing.

• MagicJack…Does it work? when I first got it.




• Magic Jack : Does it work? after six months.

So what’s the verdict?

I’m pleased to announce that it is GUILTY of working almost flawlessly!

But didn’t he say "almost"?

Yes, he did. The few "bumps" I’ve had have been more due to the PC or Internet that the device. For the past 12 months, I have used my MagicJack on two different laptops, one with XP and the other with Vista as well as three different desktops also with different Vista/XP combinations. Here’s a list of my findings:

• Regardless of the operating system, the "plug-and-play" feature seems to work just fine. When you plug the MagicJack for the first time, it self-installs the software and you’re up and running.




• Transferring the 911 location (very important) is a snap, just go the the MagicJack website, log in, and change your location. I do hasten to add that I’ve not had to use the 911 feature, so it’s not been tested in the field.




• Overall performance has been very good, for local and long distance. International calls are fine too. If you wish to make international calls, you do have to keep a balance on your account. Incoming international calls are not affected.




• Occasional "Max Headroom" like effects do happen, making the other person sound a little as though they’re trying to rap. This primarily happens when the Internet connection is being heavily used by other programs or the bandwidth is low.




• I’ve used MagicJack on wired and wireless computers with comparable results.




• On the current computer, the MagicJack has been running continually for about 2 months with only 1 reboot (required for service pack updates).




• The telephone number is tied to the MagicJack, not the computer, so if you plug the MagicJack into a new PC, the number transfers with it.




• The control panel on the screen is very simple to use. You can see outgoing and incoming call history, use it to dial or save numbers to your phone book.




• The voicemail is so-so. It’s usable, but not great, but it’s there if you need it.

I’ve heard mixed opinions about tech support and area code availability – two areas I’ve not had to experience problems in.

So, I’m certainly not saying it’s totally flawless, but on the whole I am delighted with my experience. For $50 you get a dedicated telephone number (plus you pick your own area code). Just add handset and Internet. I have just renewed my subscription for 5 years ($60).

For the price, the ease of use and quality is incredible value. Wherever you go, you take the same number with you. It’s perfect if you change locations like I do, or transfer from PC to laptop and back.

Personally, I am very hapy and will continue to use MagicJack and even get another…and no, I still don’t own stock in the company

You can learn more at www.magicjack.com.

MagicJack : does it work?

As a technical person and a natural skeptic, I was very dubious when I heard about this new product that would give you what amounts to free telephone service using your PC and high-speed Internet connection.

Unlike services such as Vonage, Magicjack is a small USB device that plugs into your PC. Plug in a phone, sign up for a number and hey-presto, you have phone service. The cost of the device is about $40 which includes the first year’s service. After that it’s $20 a year.

Sound too good to be true?

The online reviews are mixed. Some good, some bad. Some call it a great invention. Some call it a scam.

A neighbor actually recommended it when it came up in conversation. Turns out she’d been using it for a while and we (my economically savvy wife and I) had not noticed any call quality issues when speaking to her. So, especially given these trying economic times, we thought “what the heck…”

Our Magicjack arrived and we plugged it in. The software was all on the device already. After a reboot, the registration screen came up, we picked a local telephone number, hooked up one of our existing handsets…and got a dial tone. So far so good.

We called several people, both locally and long-distance. The product seemed to work as promised and has done so since. We are now getting local and long-distance phone service for less than $2 a month. Our Magicjack is hooked up to a PC that is connected to our high-speed router by a wireless connection so we figured we’d suffer a little for, but on the whole, it’s been surprisingly good.

When traveling around, I’ve plugged the Magicjack into my laptop. My local number has traveled with me. Magicjack seems to work well in both Vista and XP environments.

Depending on the Internet service quality, the calls have varied from “wow are you in the next room” (90% of the time) to something that sounds like someone popping corn white shouting in a bathtub (yes, that’s pretty far out). Voices tend to fade in and out a little. It’s certainly not the 100% clear, crisp sound you expect from a phone service, but you can, for the most part, hear and be heard clearly and you don’t have to strain your hearing or guess who you’re talking to. If your computer / Internet connection is suddenly bogged down (ie sending/receiving email), the person you’re talking to can sound like Max Headroom for a second (that’s dating myself, isn’t it…). But, quality issues aside, the Magicjack has thus far lived up to it’s promise (cheap and easy).

The setup program registered our address for 911 calls. You can change this if needed, but it’s worth remembering that if you’re not at the registered address should you need emergency services…you get the idea.

We also tried the free voicemail and gave up. At least from our perspective, the Voice-over-IP (VOIP) quality just wasn’t up to it. Their web-based recording system just can’t provide sufficient quality to sound more-or-less human. Again, it’s better than nothing (but not much).

Also worth noting is that, unlike some of the more expensive systems, if you plan on keep Magicjack as your incoming service at all times, your PC has to be up and running so don’t let it go into standby mode or hibernate.

For $20 a year, Magicjack seems to be living up to its promise. It’s been several months and so far, so good. I’ll update this review in a few more months as we progress with our testing. We’ve still got our main home telephone number active. I suppose the true test would be to have that disconnected… Anyway for this price, it’s a useful, low-cost, second number…for now.

www.MagicJack.com

Have a good one!