Magic Jack

[ironhut]

I received a bunch of spam several weeks ago about a phone alternative called Magic Jack. Although I never usually open this crap, I decided to check it out since CBS, PC Mag, FOX NEWS, etc. had reviews on the thing and there was an easy website at magicjack.com.

The phony looking site (although the TV reviews were definitely authentic) boasted that this thing would allow you to call the US and Canada for free from any phone (hooked to the jack to any computer) in the world...no matter whether in THAILAND, a hotel, etc... And, it had caller ID (on screen display), forwarding to another phone, voicemail, contact lists, etc. PLUS, you get a USA phone number and anyone in the USA can call that number and it forwards to wherever you happen to be (in this case my home in THAILAND or a hotel where I may happen to be in Asia or Europe).

It looked too good to be true and appeared like the biggest gimmick I have ever seen. I mean it was smaller than a matchbook with a USB plug at one end and a phone jack on the other. Alledgedly, all you had to do was plug in any house phone while this jack was connected to any computer through the USB port. I'm thinking "Yeah, right...all for 40 bucks a year and pennies after that?!?...and the thing really will work?!?".

So.......I bought one for $40 and had it sent to my geeky techno friend in the States so that we could video chat on Skype and check it out when it came. It shows up a few days later and with skepticism we checked it out. He plugs it into a USB port and then plugged in his house phone. After assigning it a phone number (in this case Indianapolis since that's close to where he was and where I wanted my number), he called it with his cell phone. IT RANG and his cell phone caller ID showed up on it!!!! Then I called it (the new US number) from THAILAND and it worked again as his house phone rang while plugged in!!!!

I now have the Magic Jack in Thailand and I call the States with it all the time. It's absolutely amazing. Furthermore, friends and family dial the Indy number and it rings here (just like Vonage and some others but with more functionality and at a fraction of the price).

I leave for summer in the States and this will be my new number in the Tokyo airport and at our Indiana home.......then back to Thailand where it will once again reside. There are so many applications for this that it's sick. Basically, I take my laptop to a hotel (can be on an island somewhere) and plug a small corded phone into this thing and call the US for nothing. Then while in the States, I'll have my phone forwarded (done online) to my cell phone when gone for the weekend, etc.

Sorry about the rant guys. I've had this thing a week and have been calling everyone I know. It's great for dealing with utilities, insurance, etc. prior to heading back to the US for awhile. And when they put me on hold???...no problem.

[ovenman]

When my Internet connection is working well, the magicJack is great! Agreed that their website could be better. magicJack has a great product but they do come across as huckster-ish on their website.

[jfchandler]

Glad you're having a good experience...

Ditto with me... I've been using one in BKK with True Internet for months now...

See the prior thread on this product/service....

[sgunn65]

Can it be used for the UK?

[ovenman]

Can it be used for the UK?

magicJack provides you with a US-based telephone number. Calling a UK number from that magicJack number would be an international call (not sure what their rates are for such calls). If you are based in the UK, you could use the magicJack for unlimited calls to the US, and folks in the US could call you on that number.

[popshirt]

Thanks for the information. I'm happy this was not posted in Internet/Computers forum as I never go there and would not have seen it!

[Jingthing]

As I am visiting the US now and already have a Vonage account, I ordered the Magic Jack to have a second, backup US phone number. It is so cheap I thought it worth a try. I did have a major mess up with them (their fault) on their website in the ordering process (their website is super CHEEZYY!!!) but the thing just arrived and I did manage to install it for the first time without too much hassle. Tried my first test call. Quality not up to Vonage in my view, but just one test, and still works fine.

Question: If I take the MagicJack plugin and stick it into a USB at an INTERNET CAFE computer (bringing along a headset) will it try to INSTALL SOFTWARE on the guest host computer? If so, don't internet cafes usually block any installations? It would be cool to have a portable US phone while travelling around Asia and anywhere with net cafes. I suppose you would have to ask permission of the cafe to plug in the device at the very least. Any experiences with that? I am not quite ready to cancel Vonage, but still, pretty darn impressive for SUCH A LOW PRICE.

Another interesting angle. I think that you can choose most any US area code to be your home phone. This might be useful for some people (use your imagination). Helo this is Boris calling from Alaska, or whatever.

Edited June 22, 2008 by Jingthing

[thaiclan]

I like Jajah.com, which unlike skype you dont need to be at your PC for. You type in the number you want to call (and if its to another member it is free) and then your cell phone rings and tells you that you are being connected, then the other persons phone rings and you have a call between your cell phone or landline and the recipients. You can also schedule a call (at a fee) so you dont need to be at the PC prior to the call to type in the number. Excellent qualitty and service IMO.

[jfchandler]

Jing... I'm back in California now on a two week trip.... and...took my Magic Jack and small house phone with me... Plugged them into my laptop here in my hotel, and presto....I have my regular home phone...wherever I go. Free unlimited calling to any U.S. numbers here, just the same as the free, unlimited calling from other countries like Thailand back to U.S. numbers....

I've used the Magic Jack in a few net cafes and it has worked OK... The software is all onboard, and works with both XP and Vista... I suppose a net cafe could configure their PCs so that no one can do anything with software or saving files onto their hard disks...but I don't think most are configured that way... So... it should work OK most of the time...assuming you have a USB plug available to access.

For those doing hotel stays such as myself...it's a great way of avoiding some hotels' ridculously overpriced rates for local and out of the area phone calls.

[lannarebirth]

I've returned recently from a 2 week visit to the US. While there I oredered the MagicJack. I've used it for many hours of near free calling since I returned to Thailand. It really is simple to use and works very well. Thanks for the recommendation jfchandler.

[jfchandler]

Ya...I've had the same generally good experience with it also... now after about six months of regular use...

I pretty much only have used it for calling from BKK to California...using my supposedly 2 MB True DSL...until my current trip where I'm now using it in Los Angeles for local calls.

There have been some times when the net connection from Thailand to the U.S. has been so bad/slow that I couldn't make a useable call.. But on those occasions, I likewise tried Skype and got the same problem result... So it wasn't anything particular about MJ...but rather... a symptom of the sometimes overloaded demand for Thailand to overseas net traffic...

Thanks for the "thank you..." It's an inexpensive...natural tool that anyone from the U.S. who's living in Thailand can make very good use of....

[thaiclan]

Sounds like a great device. Anyone know of anything similar for the UK? Id like to have a UK phone number when making calls.....

[Valjean]

OK sold - just asked my son to order me one. This is 1/4 or 1/5th the cost of Vonage which I've found given the state of bandwidth is problematic anyway. I will still use Skype because I call others outside of the US. Also Skype is easy to set up a conference call.

I'm starting a business here in Thailand but I want to set this up where my office can be anywhere. With Magic Jack + EarthMail (scan my mail to PDF) + email I can work anywhere there's Internet and get communications anyway people want to send them. There's Internet fax also but now I just scan and email things.

Starting a small business with a team around the world some of the web conferencing is great also - still trying WebX, LiveMeeting and others to see what is best and cheapest. If anyone has suggestion on that that would be good. For sharing desktops, presentations, etc.

Thanks for posting this and getting me off my but to order it.

[Jingthing]

Vonage basic is over 20 dollars a month LIMITED minutes, about 30 for unlimited (they add taxes and hidden fees).

Magic Jack is 20 dollars PER YEAR UNLIMITED minutes.

No comparison on price.

Also, no need to use skype, Magic Jack also offers metered international calls from your US number. I haven't checked the price comparison though.

Edited June 22, 2008 by Jingthing

[canuckamuck]

It says on their site that forwarding to a Canadian number is free. Do any of you that have magic Jack know if you can assign it a Canadian number to begin with?

They don't address this on their site.

[Jingthing]

It says on their site that forwarding to a Canadian number is free. Do any of you that have magic Jack know if you can assign it a Canadian number to begin with?

They don't address this on their site.

They don't specifically say no, but the full list of available area codes are all USA codes, but they do ship the units to the US and Canada. So it appears no Canadian localities supported.

[Valjean]

Vonage basic is over 20 dollars a month LIMITED minutes, about 30 for unlimited (they add taxes and hidden fees).

Magic Jack is 20 dollars PER YEAR UNLIMITED minutes.

No comparison on price.

Also, no need to use skype, Magic Jack also offers metered international calls from your US number. I haven't checked the price comparison though.

Skype to Skype international is free - so I'll still use it to call to another Skype user. For my business I have people in the US and India for instance and me in Thailand. We do 3 way conference calls for free. I assume that's a toll call with Magic Jack. Your calculation on Vonage is right on and it's true the the monthly fee advertised and the amount my my credit card statement each month are two different things.

[Jingthing]

Vonage basic is over 20 dollars a month LIMITED minutes, about 30 for unlimited (they add taxes and hidden fees).

Magic Jack is 20 dollars PER YEAR UNLIMITED minutes.

No comparison on price.

Also, no need to use skype, Magic Jack also offers metered international calls from your US number. I haven't checked the price comparison though.

Skype to Skype international is free - so I'll still use it to call to another Skype user. For my business I have people in the US and India for instance and me in Thailand. We do 3 way conference calls for free. I assume that's a toll call with Magic Jack. Your calculation on Vonage is right on and it's true the the monthly fee advertised and the amount my my credit card statement each month are two different things.

MJ has free 3 way for US/Canada calls. You are right, Skype to Skype is a good choice but not everyone uses Skype.

[jfchandler]

Skype to Skype international is free - so I'll still use it to call to another Skype user. For my business I have people in the US and India for instance and me in Thailand. We do 3 way conference calls for free. I assume that's a toll call with Magic Jack.

Just a thought about your situation above.... If you in Thailand and the others in India both had MJ... you could both call back to your U.S. people for free....unlimited time... I don't know about arranging conference calls on MJ... Anyone done that????

[jfchandler]

Jing, although MJ doesn't really advertise or promote it, I realized once I started using it that in the program menu, they have options for using MJ with a computer headset and mic, instead of with a traditional telephone. But, I've only used it with a phone yet... not with a headset...

Have you used it with a headset yet? And if so, how do you do that in terms of the connections? Change the software menu settings to headset... plug the MJ into your USB port...and then what... Just plug your headset into your computer's headset jacks...and it works????

After using Skype before and always having to muck around with the headseat and microphone on my head.... I LIKED the change with MJ where I could just go back to talking on a regular telephone...and holding the phone between my shoulder and ear..... But as you mentioned...if you're using it in a net cafe...it's probably easier to carry around a headset vs. a small phone...

[Macx]

Thanks for the informative posts.

So, the computer/laptop must be on all the time if you're going to use it like a "regular phone", right? That is, whenever someone calls, the phone rings.

[Jingthing]

Thanks for the informative posts.

So, the computer/laptop must be on all the time if you're going to use it like a "regular phone", right? That is, whenever someone calls, the phone rings.

Yes, but it works with the laptop in sleep mode with power on. If your computer isn't on, your calls will just go the voicemail. It has some limitations, thus the low price.

[Tim207]

A couple of things that have not been mentioned:

A large number of users have had problems with outgoing call volume to low so the person you are calling has a hard time hearing you. This is not an issue when using a headset, only when using a standard phone. This may have been fixed by now, I know they were working on it.

One feature I think is very cool is when you get a voicemail you are notified by e-mail and the message is attached in a wave file. For those without broadband you can just check your e-mail to get your voicemail messages, no need for an always on connection with a lot of bandwidth. I use my mobile phone for internet access in the village so I can easily check my messages using e-mail but there isn't enough bandwidth to use voip. I have not tried this yet but the idea is to go into town to return my calls using mj at a cafe or hotspot.

I would really like to hear more about people's experiences using cafes and hotspots with the phone.

[swain]

A couple of things that have not been mentioned:

A large number of users have had problems with outgoing call volume to low so the person you are calling has a hard time hearing you. This is not an issue when using a headset, only when using a standard phone. This may have been fixed by now, I know they were working on it.

One feature I think is very cool is when you get a voicemail you are notified by e-mail and the message is attached in a wave file. For those without broadband you can just check your e-mail to get your voicemail messages, no need for an always on connection with a lot of bandwidth. I use my mobile phone for internet access in the village so I can easily check my messages using e-mail but there isn't enough bandwidth to use voip. I have not tried this yet but the idea is to go into town to return my calls using mj at a cafe or hotspot.

I would really like to hear more about people's experiences using cafes and hotspots with the phone.

I have had the magic jack now for 2 months and I have been very impressed with it. I also keep another service packet8 just in case but you cant beat magic jack for the price. On SOME calls I have had the problem with the outgoing volume on the phone is too low and I have to speak extra loud. This is like 1 in 10 calls. Not a big problem, but it seems it has not been resolved yet.

[dreidcs2]

Actually, i will send one to my GF in BKK, the MJ can call other MJ for free, so, if you have one in the UK and another in Thailand, you can call each other.

I have also talked to the company, and they allowed me to sell them in Thailand, but i have to check what the mailing will be.You ca use it with a laptop or pc connected to the internet, even using wireless connections, what makes it really great for airport use!!

if you have any questions you can send me a message...

I hope they dont think i am spamming the forum, please let me know if i am, thank you.

A couple of things that have not been mentioned:

A large number of users have had problems with outgoing call volume to low so the person you are calling has a hard time hearing you. This is not an issue when using a headset, only when using a standard phone. This may have been fixed by now, I know they were working on it.

One feature I think is very cool is when you get a voicemail you are notified by e-mail and the message is attached in a wave file. For those without broadband you can just check your e-mail to get your voicemail messages, no need for an always on connection with a lot of bandwidth. I use my mobile phone for internet access in the village so I can easily check my messages using e-mail but there isn't enough bandwidth to use voip. I have not tried this yet but the idea is to go into town to return my calls using mj at a cafe or hotspot.

I would really like to hear more about people's experiences using cafes and hotspots with the phone.

I have had the magic jack now for 2 months and I have been very impressed with it. I also keep another service packet8 just in case but you cant beat magic jack for the price. On SOME calls I have had the problem with the outgoing volume on the phone is too low and I have to speak extra loud. This is like 1 in 10 calls. Not a big problem, but it seems it has not been resolved yet.

[mogoso]

Vonage basic is over 20 dollars a month LIMITED minutes, about 30 for unlimited (they add taxes and hidden fees).

Magic Jack is 20 dollars PER YEAR UNLIMITED minutes.

No comparison on price.

Also, no need to use skype, Magic Jack also offers metered international calls from your US number. I haven't checked the price comparison though.

When you boot up Majic Jack they offer 5 years service for $60 thats $12 per year after your initial purchase. Not too shabby. Works great, no problems after a years usage.

[retiredusn]

Been using mine for about 6months now and love it. Also saves on your sim card if your friends here in thailand have one.