Do you have a magicJack / is it gimick - or Good ?

[TooManyGizmos]

Do you have a MagicJack / is it gimick - or Good ?( 1 Yr UPDATE )

..
:tinfoil: .. I did a search of this Cafe' Forum - no hits - so I'm asking .

Been seeing a lot of 30 min. Infomertials about the *MagicJack* broadband phone jack. I've thought about getting one (cost is not excessive).... but I'm always skeptical about infomertial products ... expecting a rip-off !

I did a Google search on it - read conflicting good and bad reports. Mostly area code availability issues and potential return/refund issues.

We have a community of trustworthy / opinionated / analitical / consumers who should be able to shed some light on this product like they do flashlights.

So ..... as a community ... lets share some info on the *magicJack* and decide if we should ALL get one ... or give it *thumbs-down*. Who can tell us if there are drawbacks and pittfalls to watch for.

Are you / or were you .... as leary of this as I am ? As they say ... it just sounds "to good to be true". So lets *beat it to death* and find out the truth.

Who's got one ?
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[Patriot]

Sorry, I don't have one but it seems to be legit and reviewers seem to like it. In the case of area code issues, it appears they were able to resolve them.

 

[adamlau]

My neighbor uses one and swears by it. He is an honest guy, no need for me not to believe him.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

Sorry, I don't have one but it seems to be legit and reviewers seem to like it. In the case of area code issues, it appears they were able to resolve them.

....................................................................

Patriot ,

What reviewers are these that you speak of ?

Are they paid ...... are they on infomertials ?


Where can we research to really find out the truth ?

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[matrixshaman]

I don't know too much about this except it's the same old VOIP deal with a little different twist. You still have to pay a yearly fee after the first year and it's quality is dependent on the Internet - calls will likely sound more like a cell phone in a remote spot at times. 911 won't be able to find you from your call. You still need high speed Internet. I guess if you make a lot of long distance calls and don't need high quality it might be good.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

VOIP was Hot a couple years ago.

I bought a headset and was using VOIP until they started limiting the call duration to 4 min. - at that point I gave up & stoped using it.

That's why I'm supprised they say unlimited calling on these magicJack things.

What has changed

 

[The_LED_Museum]

I have one...here's the good & the bad:



GOOD

1: So far anyway, has decent call quality.
2: Works with virtually all landline telephones - both corded and cordless.
3: Has caller ID built in.
4: The price is right: less than $20 a year.

==============================================================================================================================
BAD

1: If your computer has many tasks running (I count 18 right here, right now), response could be very slow: takes quite a few seconds before a dial tone becomes available; similar delay when answering calls. This can result in missed calls. Therefore, it is best suited for use on a computer with a minimum of other applications operating simultaneously (applications visible in the taskbar, not background applications).
2: Voice mail cannot yet be disabled; though they are looking into this for future implementation.

 

[Beamhead]

I ordered one and it was a brick out of the box, and I rarely fall for infomercial items. The customer service is via on line chat only and in my case useless at best.

YMMV

 

[The_LED_Museum]

...911 won't be able to find you from your call...

If you input your home (street address) into the indicated field, 911 *CAN* find you - though this applies only when you use the MagicJack from your home.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

..
:tinfoil: .. I'm wondering if it won't just go away and stop working .....


After they've collected all our $40 over the next few months.

They might be on a beach in Australlia , mate.

 

[nerdgineer]

This may be an exception but I normally operate under the general rule of thumb that anything sold by informercial is a ripoff...

 

[TooManyGizmos]

..
:sigh:.. The Cafe' is not getting much viewer activity any more. Only 11 at a peak time.

Or maybe there are not many in circulation.
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[TooManyGizmos]

.. this didn't get the activity and discussion I thought it would ........

Oh well ........ maybe another time :nana:
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[LED-holic]

I did some research into this a long time ago, and found the reviews very mixed. It wasn't worth it for me to take the risk so I passed.

It's fairly cheap if you want to try it, but I didn't think it was worth even the little bit of money it cost.

 

[SilentK]

i use it and it is just fine. it is not as fast as normal phone and you may need to keep your pc on for extended periods of time, but i find it to be great. it may slow your pc down a bit, and not perform as well if you are like me and have so much junk running in and on your computer and do so much that you need a 700watt power supply and 6 120mm fans to keep it running, but hey, the overclocked dual core keeps it running quite well. :nana: i give it a 8.5 out of 10

 

[Zephyr]

If I buy this and use it in the U.S. and call, let's say the Philippines, will I get charged for international phone calls?

 

[SilentK]

If I buy this and use it in the U.S. and call, let's say the Philippines, will I get charged for international phone calls?

nope. i dont think so.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

Infomercial just said free local and long dist. calls in the U.S.A. and Canada.

I think they said if you call to other countries - the party you are calling has to have a magicJack too.

If they have the Jack - they can call the U.S.A.

I think thats what was said.
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[TooManyGizmos]

Re: Do you have a magicJack / is it gimick - or Good ? ( 1 Yr UPDATE )

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Follow-up ..... 1yr-3mo's later .... for anyone interested in these.

I couldn't get overall approval of these , mixed reviews , but I tried one anyway .

Over a year of use , and I'm still satisfied with it .
Works as advertised 95% of the time , considering the monthly price of a common landline phone , I'd say it's well worth it's much lower price . They are still around well after a year and didn't take our money and run to the beaches of Australia .

If you dropped your local phone service carrier , and now rely on just your cell phone , (as many have done) , this MagicJack makes a good "back-up" line of communication . Much cheaper than Long distance calls on most cell phones (when they're not on your network) , or to Mom & Dad's home phone .

If you ever considered a MagicJack , and are still wondering about it .... from my experience with it I can now recommend it .

I occasionally get a slight echo - but all-in-all , it works pretty darn well . It also has many great extra features too . I'd say try it , and NO , I'm not associated with them in any way .

Just thought some of you might want some follow-up info .
......
TMG

 

[R@ndom]

It's coz the beaches are too hot here. 90-100f today.