MagicJack

"I have never seen a simpler to use product. You simply plug it into your computer, plug in your phone, and start calling. The call quality is perfect ... this device is so simple my grandmother could install one on her PC and begin ..."

-- No Heat

Need a second phone line? How about a dedicated business line for your home-based enterprise? A cheap way to make calls while traveling the world? Look no further than the MagicJack, quite possibly the coolest gizmo of 2007. All you do is plug the little guy into a USB port. It automatically installs its own software: a nifty little dialer/address-book app. (During the initial setup, you get to choose your own local number for inbound calls.) Now just plug any corded or cordless handset into the MagicJack's standard RJ-11 jack and presto, you've got a dial tone. And voice mail. And three-way calling, caller ID, etc. You can also use a headset if you're traveling and don't want to schlep that bulky old Princess phone. The MagicJack costs $40, which includes a year's worth of unlimited local and long-distance calls. (Free international calls to other MagicJack users, too.) After that, you'll pay just $20 per year. I've tried this thing, and let me tell you: It rocks. It's way easier to use than Skype, way cheaper than Vonage, and way cool to boot.

-- CNET / The Cheapskate

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.

-- Oliver Rist, PC Magazine Editors' Choice Award!

WHAT: A phone jack for your computer that lets you plug in a standard phone and make low-cost calls. AIMED AT: Travelers with laptops who want to make cheap calls from the road. HOW MUCH: $20 for the jack, plus $20 a year for service. BUT DOES IT WORK? Between pricey penalties for exceeding mobile phone minutes to absurd hotel telephone charges, calling from the road costs too much. Travelers with laptops and broadband can make Internet calls, but those pay-per-minute rates add up. MagicJack changes the game with a flat-rate price so low it looks like a misprint: $20 per year -- not per month, per year -- for unlimited calls to the United States and Canada from anywhere in the world. Getting started costs $40, which includes the first year of service and a small device that plugs into a USB port. The device has a telephone jack that lets you use a standard phone, including cordless ones (you also can opt to use a headphone). Setup is simple. You don't need to insert a CD; just plug the small device into the USB port and the software loads automatically. We were making calls less than five minutes after plugging in the device. Voice quality was indistinguishable from a wired phone line. We tested magicJack with a variety of Internet broadband connections and PCs. The quality did not suffer, and the device did not slow down other programs, even on an older, slower PC. The phone service comes with a free local phone number, voice mail, call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling and free (commercial-supported) directory assistance. International calls are extra, though competitively priced: Calls to France, for example, are 2 cents a minute (18 cents a minute for French mobile phones). MagicJack compares favorably to Skype, which recently added flat-rate pricing to its per-minute pricing ($36 a year for unlimited calling to phones in the United States and Canada). Skype charges extra for such things as an incoming phone number and devices that let you plug in standard phones. Cons: Although the device is about as small as a pack of gum, it's thick enough to block a second USB port on some laptops. And unlike more expensive Internet phones, magicJack cannot make calls while your PC is off. However, it can still take voice mail.

-- Daniel Greenberg, The Washington Post

It is magic of the MagicJack that can change your PC into a VoIP hub using which you can make very inexpensive local as well as long-distance calls. The magic device looks like a matchbox and works like a phone jack for the PC enabling both residential and business enterprises plug in their existing phones to make cheap local and long-distance calls. Unlike Skype and other popular VoIP start ups, MagicJack does not require any headphone to be attached to your PCs for VoIP services. It provides a number of services such as call waiting, 911 service, conference calling and voice mail. It has a FollowMe feature that forwards calls to other phone numbers when a person is offline. The price of MagicJack is around $40. The company provides one subscription to YMax’s phone service those who purchase MagicJack. YMax phone service brings a personal phone number, 911 service and voice mail services to the customers. They can also enjoy free International calling to US/Canada numbers when traveling outside of the US. As of now, the MagicJack supports Windows XP and Vista operating system. The company will soon launch its Mac version.

-- voipcentral.org

If you've pondered ditching your landline because of exorbitant phone bills, magicJack just may be for you. It's an unassuming cigarette lighter-sized plug-and-play USB telephony device that offers unlimited local and long distance calling within the U.S. and Canada (international dialing expected by the end of the year). We were pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to use and the quality it provides for less than $40. Installation was simple: We plugged the 0.9-ounce magicJack into a USB port on a Windows-powered PC (Mac OS X drivers will be available by the end of the year), and about 30 seconds later the bundled software automatically loaded. After registering the device and receiving a personal magicJack phone number (users will be able to port their existing numbers to the service before the end of the year), we plugged a standard landline phone into the device's phone jack and began making calls. Users who wish to forgo a traditional handset can opt to use a cordless phone. You can also use the magicJack to make calls using your PC, whether you're at home or on the road. Dial using the keyboard or an onscreen keypad, and you can talk using either a headset or your computer's built-in microphone and speaker. The overall voice quality was good: better than most cell phones but not quite on par with true landlines. Friends and colleagues reported only the occasional crackle and pop, and we didn't encounter a single dropped call on our tests. This level of quality and stability is courtesy of magicJack's proprietary network, which maintains a solid, reliable connection that the company claims can't be achieved on traditional VoIP channels. MagicJack doesn't skimp on features, either; it comes packed with all the amenities you'd expect from a phone service, including voicemail (you can receive messages even when you're offline), caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and emergency 911 dialing. Priced at a reasonable $39.95, magicJack comes with a year's worth of service (an annual subscription runs $19.95 after that, with international prepaid packages starting for as little as $5). Although it's designed for use with a single phone line (multiple lines require a magicJack for each) and your PC has to be turned on to use it, the magicJack is a fine way to cut your monthly telephone bill without making too many tradeoffs.

-- Jeffrey L. Wilson, Laptop Magazine

VoIP and Skype are the latest things, but sometimes those services can be hard to deal with. You might want to consider the magicjack, a device that can simply the process of calling via the internet. The magicJack has a USB male in one side and a female phone jack on the rear. All you need to do is plug it into the USB port and your phone goes in the other end. Apparently, all calls made on the magicJack are free, and it provides caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting, and even your own phone number.

-- Mark Rollins, gadgets-weblog.com