magicJack: PC to Phone Jack

I'd give the magic jack 20 stars if i could.Simply the BEST $38 I ever spent - PERIOD.Anyone complaining about it just doesn't have the right internet connection to use it, or the brains to control their bandwidth. Here's some of the highlights:1) You get FREE VOICEMAIL that always works, even if your PC is turned OFF.Yes, you can record your own greeting for the voicemail. You can access the voicemail from ANY phone just by dialing your magicjack phone # and entering a 4 digit pin. OR better yet even, every time you get a voicemail, magicjack EMAILS you a copy of the message in WAV format so you can just play the message right on your PC - no need to dial into voicemail AT ALL. How cool is that?2) FREE caller ID3) Your number is UNLISTED by default - you can even make up any fake name you want when you sign up to be SURE. No more calls from ANYONE you don't want.4) FREE alphabetized list of contacts on your PC - just enter all your important phone numbers ONCE, and you can dial anyone with ONE CLICK - no more dialing.5) In case you are wondering, in some cases ONE MAGIC JACK can make all the phones in your house work. This will be especially easy for you to set up if you currently have phone service through your internet provider. Just find the master phone jack in your house the cable modem is plugged into, and take the plug out of your cable modem and plug it into your magic jack instead and VOILA - ALL THE PHONES in your house run off the magicjack now.6) Amazingly, you can send a magicjack to ANYONE anywhere in the world, and they can get a local US number, so if you have family overseas you can kiss your long distance phone bills GOODBYE.7) Another STELLAR feature - you can choose your own phone number from any available number - first you PICK the area code, and one you want, doesnt have to be local, then you choose the next 3 digit prefix, and you can choose from any available last 4 for a few extra dollars, or let them be assigned at random for free. You can also use the handy search tool to search for any available number in any area code - say for example you want a number like (area code)MER-MAID - just type mermaid in the search and you will get a list of all available choices.I paid far more money for service through my ISP and got ZERO input into the phone number. Now with magicjack I have a GREAT number that is easy to remember.8) The sound quality is BETTER than I had before using my internet provider's phone service. Sounds as good as a landline to me. The KEY is to make sure you have the required minimum bandwidth AVAILABLE. That means you have to stop your downloads, or at least limit their speed, when you want to talk on the phone for optimal sound quality. I'd bet this is what all the bad reviews haven't quite figured out.9) Your phone bill is almost 50% taxes if you make only local calls. You won't pay ANY of those taxes with a magicjack. I am saving $200 a year, and I use the phone less than anyone else alive. If you use the phone a lot you can save thousands.10) You can even sign up for 5 years if you want to and magic jack will give you a 30% discount so you only pay $14 a year. BEAT THAT!11) EASIEST install of any tech product I ever put in. Just plug it in to a USB port and off you go. If the magicjack software does not auto install, just go to their website and download and run the upgrade file (FREE).I am running Windows XP and have the LOWEST SPEED cable internet service available from COX (also the cheapest of course:)).SIMPLY PUT - An INCREDIBLE savings, a wonderful product, one of my best buys EVER.Thank you MAGIC JACK. Enjoy this party while it lasts folks because once the telco companies start wondering where all their customers went, they'll find a way to end our fun.UPDATE 1/10/11:Yes it is still a great buy overall, BUTI am slightly miffed with magicjack over several issues:#1: Upon renewal after year one, they charged an extra 4.8% to cover what they call "misc taxes etc.", so I had to pay $20.91, NOT $19.95 as advertised, and there was ZERO advance notice of this markup.#2: none of my phones ring - their tech support (which is a total joke I might add) claims this can be solved by adding a powered USB hub. Frankly I don't trust their tech support any farther than I could throw them, so I'm not going to waste money on a hub to try this out.#3: Their tech support is a total waste of time - don't bother calling them.They will make you jump through silly hoops reinstalling their software and you will still have all the same problems you had before.#4: Certain phone numbers CANNOT be called from a magicjack, and some users will find that some people have problems calling them as well. Magicjack tech always finds a way to blame other carriers for these transient issues, but it is pretty clear to me that the magicjack network availability is spotty at best.In summation, at this juncture I still endorse the product overall since you cannot beat $21 a year for unlimited domestic long distance, BUT be advised to expect some trade-offs and keep a cellphone handy for situations where magicjack will not work as promised. I would suggest you only sign up for ONE YEAR at a time even though you might find their five year offer for 30% less per year tempting. Given my experience to date, I'd expect things to deteriorate over time and I'd prefer to keep my long term options open. Same way I feel about getting married...

I needed a second line into the house, and decided to check out the MagicJack. I'm not normally someone who buys things that are advertised in such a cheesy infomercial fashion, but since Clark Howard gave it a positive review I figured I'd check it out.I use the MagicJack on an Acer computer that runs Windows 7. As a way to save desk space, I decided to use MagicJack with a headset that plugs directly into my computer.Things are running smoothly now... But they didn't at first (I still rate the MagicJack with FIVE stars).When I first tried it, it would drop a call after just a few seconds. I fixed that by using a direct Internet connection instead of a wireless router. In other words, the ethernet cable runs from the cable modem directly into my computer. That fixed the drop call problem.The second problem was the voice quality was bad, and people could barely hear me. I fixed that by adjusting the default Windows 7 sound settings. In other words, this was a Windows 7 issue and not a MagicJack issue. I adjusted the sound volume and quality. You'll have to play around with it as system configurations can differ. Basically, on the relevant controls I turned the volume up and increased the quality to "studio quality." That fixed the poor voice quality problem. These settings, by the way, are outside of the volume control settings found in the MagicJack menu interface.Now, MagicJack works GREAT! When I talk to people they can't believe the terrific voice quality of the phone call. Most phone speakers are very poor quality. But, now I'm conversing in "studio quality" with everybody.I'll have to test the MagicJack for a while longer before I decide whether or not to kick my digital phone service to the curb. I am planning on fully digitizing the house. When I do that, it wouldn't surprise me at all if I go 100% with MagicJack as my landline.One other thing. I think people reading this should take all the one star ratings with a grain of salt for two reasons.1 - It really could be that computer neophytes can not get their MagicJack to work. Mine didn't work when I first tried it. My computer configuration did require some twiddling so that the MagicJack would work. For the most part, that isn't MagicJack's fault since Microsoft Windows 7 defaults are outside MagicJack's control. I do fault MagicJack for trying to make it seem so easy when it is very likely that some people will have configuration issues.2 - Corporations do use social media to try and influence consumer opinions. I would not be surprised at all to find that various telcomms are behind a lot of the one star ratings.