Black92LX
01-15-2010, 02:25 PM
www.magicjack.com
That's right that little thing you see on the TV with the silly commercials. Just plug into your computer and plugin a phone and you are good to go.
I will start of by saying I am undoubtably one of the cheapest people on the face of the planet, when it comes to most things.
I haven't had a home phone in 4 years, because I have had a cellphone and did not feel like paying for something I did not need.
I hate giving my cell phone to companies I do business with, like my insurance, banks ect. But that was never a reason to spend $25+ on a home phone.
Then there is the 911 issues that arise with cellphone emergency calls and how bad they can suck in figuring out where the problem is actually occurring.
Well magic jack was reviewed in last months consumer reports as actually working very well.
So I figured I would give it a shot.
So I went to best buy and paid $40 for the magic jack. That includes the device and 1 year of phone service.
I also went to Sam's and got a 3 pack of cordless phones for $40 (could return if I was not happy with Magic jack)
I am in it for $80 including phones that would be 3 months of unlimited phone service from my cable company and I still would have to buy the actual phones.
Well let me tell you, this little thing is AWESOME! Sound quality is no different than any other land line I have used (granted this may vary on your internet connection).
Setup was simple plugged the device into my USB port and plugged in a regular telephone and it walked me through the steps of choosing a phone number, then setting up my info for 911.
Each year from now on is $20, so I have unlimited local and long distance calling for $1.70 a month.
You have voicemail, and call waiting. I found this pretty neat, if you get a voicemail it sends you an e-mail with an attached wave file of the message. So in my case, when I am not home, I have an iPhone so I just open the wave file and don't need to call to get my messages or waste my cell phone minutes.
To check your messages you just call your phone number hit * then enter your password and you are in your mailbox.
Another neat thing is on call waiting, it plays music for the person on hold.
The potential problems one can forsee:
Your computer must be on to make or receive calls, if your computer is off it goes straight to voicemail.
In my case this is not a big deal as if I am home the computer is on.
You also must have an internet connection. Fortunately I have been here for 1.5 years and my internet has only gone out once and that's because the Bobcat operator ripped out the cable line to the house when he was digging for my patio.
But the cable company was here within the hour to fix it.
But again I still have a cellphone (better than nothing).
So really for $1.70 a month this little thing cannot be beat. I don't use it much but it's nice to know it's there.
So if you don't have a home phone for the reasons like me rarely use it and don't fell like spending the money. I don't think you can go wrong with the magic jack.
That's right that little thing you see on the TV with the silly commercials. Just plug into your computer and plugin a phone and you are good to go.
I will start of by saying I am undoubtably one of the cheapest people on the face of the planet, when it comes to most things.
I haven't had a home phone in 4 years, because I have had a cellphone and did not feel like paying for something I did not need.
I hate giving my cell phone to companies I do business with, like my insurance, banks ect. But that was never a reason to spend $25+ on a home phone.
Then there is the 911 issues that arise with cellphone emergency calls and how bad they can suck in figuring out where the problem is actually occurring.
Well magic jack was reviewed in last months consumer reports as actually working very well.
So I figured I would give it a shot.
So I went to best buy and paid $40 for the magic jack. That includes the device and 1 year of phone service.
I also went to Sam's and got a 3 pack of cordless phones for $40 (could return if I was not happy with Magic jack)
I am in it for $80 including phones that would be 3 months of unlimited phone service from my cable company and I still would have to buy the actual phones.
Well let me tell you, this little thing is AWESOME! Sound quality is no different than any other land line I have used (granted this may vary on your internet connection).
Setup was simple plugged the device into my USB port and plugged in a regular telephone and it walked me through the steps of choosing a phone number, then setting up my info for 911.
Each year from now on is $20, so I have unlimited local and long distance calling for $1.70 a month.
You have voicemail, and call waiting. I found this pretty neat, if you get a voicemail it sends you an e-mail with an attached wave file of the message. So in my case, when I am not home, I have an iPhone so I just open the wave file and don't need to call to get my messages or waste my cell phone minutes.
To check your messages you just call your phone number hit * then enter your password and you are in your mailbox.
Another neat thing is on call waiting, it plays music for the person on hold.
The potential problems one can forsee:
Your computer must be on to make or receive calls, if your computer is off it goes straight to voicemail.
In my case this is not a big deal as if I am home the computer is on.
You also must have an internet connection. Fortunately I have been here for 1.5 years and my internet has only gone out once and that's because the Bobcat operator ripped out the cable line to the house when he was digging for my patio.
But the cable company was here within the hour to fix it.
But again I still have a cellphone (better than nothing).
So really for $1.70 a month this little thing cannot be beat. I don't use it much but it's nice to know it's there.
So if you don't have a home phone for the reasons like me rarely use it and don't fell like spending the money. I don't think you can go wrong with the magic jack.