Magic Jack – A Pro-Contra Perspective
There seems to no end to the debate over the amazing and controversial product in telephony – Magic Jack. Some say it’s good, others say it’s a scam, and yet some others say that it is neither – it is just another new gadget. Whatever might be the consensus, it remains a fact that everyone who wants to budget on domestic and international calls is talking about Magic Jack and you cannot choose to ignore it. This article will attempt to simply list out the possible pluses and minuses of this fantastic piece of innovation and let you decide for yourself in the end.
Let’s start with the pros – it’s always better to leave the bad things for the end. As a first, anyone who has seen the ads of Magic Jack knows that it lets you make calls to anywhere in the US and Canada at unbelievably low rates. This is primarily due to its low annual rate scheme where you don’t have to pay monthly bills. Just buy the unit and forget about bills for a year! A second plus is that a Magic Jack phone connection is highly portable – you can practically take it anywhere in the country where you have access to a broadband internet connection, plug in the USB device to your PC, and make all the calls you need. Your can receive calls as well, and also make calls from outside the US as if you were within the country at that moment.
With these features, Magic Jack has emerged as a cheap and very practical alternative to traditional landline phone connections – such that you can save up to 0 in year with a Magic Jack connection! Moreover, a when-you-need-to-use international call system that lets you buy international call minutes and then use them at your leisure provides great freedom and economical advantage to people who have rare, but important, international calls to make.
So much for the good points – let’s focus on the darker side for a moment now. It turns out that Magic Jack may not be the panacea for communication it claims to be -several cases of poor customer service and other complaints have risen against the company in its lifetime. Besides, the calling experience itself is found to be faulty at times – with problems such as echo, static and beeps coming up every now and then.
Apart from these, there are privacy issues regarding the whole setup as Magic Jack states in its end user agreement that it might record the numbers to which calls are being made as it needs them to profile the customer and thereby add personalized ads to the connection – the ads being stated as a vital source for the company in lieu of the low rates it provides.
Another problem is with the USB device – it does not have the proper software required to uninstall it after use – as a result, users have to eject it without shutting it off – something that could potentially damage the hardware and your USB port. Although, now a software patch for the un-installation has been released.
Planning to buy magic jack? You can check out magic jack reviews from people sharing their real life experience on using this wonderful product.
My review on the magic jack. Which is a flawed but good product.
Video Rating: 3 / 5
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A Magic Jack Review-Wonder device or Trash
Voice over Internet Protocols (VOIP) has come a long way in the last few years. With broadband internet expanding dramatically, internet telephone applications have gone from corporate communications to everyday consumer use. One VOIP application getting lots of attention lately is MagicJack.
MagicJack is a small device that plugs into the USB port on a computer. The credit card sized unit also has a jack to plug in a standard telephone, which os one of the options that set it apart from the compatition.
Magic Jack Installation
Magic Jack installs in minutes. Once the device is plugged into a USB port, software is automatically installed into the computer from the device. This software is easy to use and navigate. This is where you store phone numbers, track incoming calls, and one of the options for dialing phone numbers. Once the software is installed, a quick signup on the website is all that is left, then MagicJack is ready to place calls. For international calls, you need to prepay for the additional charges, this is the only occasion where you must pay additional for your Magic Jack calls. (Outbound US>World international calls)
Magic Jack cost
Magic Jack is not free, but it is very inexpensive. If purchased on the website, the current price is .95, as of this Magic Jack review. Included in the price is the first year of service (additional years are aproximately ) and a 30 day risk free trial. In store prices vary, put usually are around , including the first years service. For the best pricing, click the link in my profile and order online, and enjoy the 30 days free trial.
International calling costs vary depending on the destination country, with some countries such as Mexico and India being very reasonable.
Magic Jack Quality
For US calls, with broadband access, the quality is solid overall. International quality is erratic, and seems to depend on international internet connection speed. Some calls are crystal clear, others harder to hear, but all are understandable.
Magic Jack Issues
There have been some concerns raised about support. Sales of Magic Jack have far surpassed initial expectations, and the device is sold to all levels of computer savy users. Initially, customer support has had trouble responding to issues. This seems to be improving.
Call quality is dependant on internet connection quality. However, this is the case for all VOIP applications, not just Magic Jack. If you do not have at least a DSL connection, do not try Magic Jack, you will not be happy with the results.
Rick Smits is a professional currency trader, specializing in asian currency pairs. Check out his blog Forex Tools Asia. For the latest in Internet bargains, view his Magic Jack Review to read more about MagicJack.
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