Magic Jack | Magic Jack Review

Magic Jack Review

Magic Jack is the latest in VOIP technology. Simple and easy to use, Magic Jack Internet Phone is cheap and affordable for just about anyone who would like to save on their phone bill. I purchased it for myself as I live out in the middle of nowhere, and my telephone company does not provide long distance service. Tired of using calling cards and dialing a bunch of numbers just to get a busy signal or answering machine, I decided to give Magic Jack a try. The first 30 days are a free trial, and I could always send it backif I didn’t like it and my credit card wouldn’t be charged.

The Best Features of Magic Jack

  • Free Local and Long Distance Calling. Anywhere I call is long distance, so this is a real money saver for me. Saves on using up your cell phone minutes while you’re home too.
  • Free Voice Mail. The Voice Mail option is straightforward and easy to set up and use. You will also get an email notification that you have voice mail. There are also options to set up voice mail messages for family, work and friends.
  • Free Phone Number. Not sure is this is a “best feature”, one usually receives a phone number at no extra charge when setting up a telephone service account.
  • Free Directory Assistance. I never use this, but if your regular phone company charges you, there’s another savings on your phone bill.
  • Free Caller ID. If your phone company charges you for this, this is another way you could save a few bucks a month by having a Magic Jack.
  • Free Call Waiting. Same as above, another way to save some bucks.
  • Good Call Quality. I’ve been impressed at the clearness of my phone calls. No one can tell I’m using anything other than my regular landline telephone. No static, no skipping, calls haven’t been dropped. I like it.

The Worst Features of Magic Jack

  • Free Directory Assistance: This is kind of cheesy. When you click on the 411 button on the Magic Jack dashboard that pops up on your computer, it takes you to a web site to look up telephone numbers for free: http://www.free411.com/index.php. If you dial 411 from your phone that you’ve got hooked up to Magic Jack, you have to listen to an advertisement first before you can get to the assistance. If it is going to take some time for their search, you get to listen to more advertisements.
  • Having software downloaded to my computer. The Magic Jack screen that is called a “softphone” is something you can’t get rid of from your desktop, although you can minimize it. Kind of a minor annoyance, but worth it to me because of the free phone calls.
  • 911 service. Haven’t had to use it, but since this is such a new company and the program is still in beta, I wouldn’t depend on their 911 service. It might be perfectly fine, but that’s not something I want to figure out in the middle of a life or death emergency. You do have to register your address where you are using your Magic Phone in case you do need to use their 911. I’d keep a landline phone just for this.

Although overall I am very pleased with Magic Jack, I’m not planning on getting rid of my landline telephone service anytime soon. Magic Jack is still in Beta right now, so expect a few glitches and problems to iron out along the way. But at only $39.99 for the first year (which includes the cost of the Magic Jack USB device and the software), and $19.99 a year after that, you really can’t go wrong with trying it out. Costs more than that to go out to dinner, unless you go to Taco Bell like I do!

Do you own a Magic Jack? I’d love to hear some of your comments about it. I do moderate the comments,  to keep spam and unrelated junk away, but any comment you have about Magic Jack, good or bad will be approved…just keep it clean please, this is a family oriented website.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • bodytext
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook

Filed Under Magic Jack Review |

Tagged With , , , , ,

Comments

5 Responses to “Magic Jack Review”

  1. Barbara Baker on June 25th, 2008 9:32 am

    I want to know whether I need a separate ISP to use Magic Jack. Do I need to keep my AT&T internet connection or does the Magic Jack have its own connection?

  2. admin on June 25th, 2008 1:52 pm

    Yes, you do keep your internet connection, you use that internet connection for your calls with Magic Jack!

  3. Resty on June 27th, 2008 1:10 am

    I’ve had MagicJack for a couple days now and so far I’m please with it. One thing that is tricky with MagicJack is the plug and play understanding of most user.

    It’s actually mentioned in the other part of the package on what to do. Once you completed that part, everything’s just fine.

    I just cancelled my Qwest long distance service since I have my cellphone for backup to call US long distance.

    Quality wise, its loud and clear even a call to Canada that I have also tried.

  4. admin on June 27th, 2008 12:19 pm

    @Resty,

    Keep in touch and let us know how your Magic Jack is working after a couple of months. When mine works, it works great also.

  5. getting rid of your landline home phone on July 2nd, 2008 4:07 am

    [...] on their phone bill. I purchased it for myself as I live out in the middle of nowhere, and my telephttp://voip2u.org/magic-jack-reviewKeeping a landline number on your cell phone AP via Yahoo! News Q: I want to get rid of my landline [...]

Leave a Reply