[torsoboy]

My Mom has used MagicJack in the past for her phone, but, due to the big "as seen on TV" message on the box, I always thought it was just some gimmicky device that probably didn't work very well. But regardless of what I previously thought, their newest device sounds awesome! You plug the MagicJack into your computer that is connected to broadband, and it will allow you to use *your cell phone* through your internet connection. Doing this will allow you to use your phone without using your minutes.

According to the article, it basically creates a mini cell-tower in your home, and they claim that it is legal without a licence "because wireless spectrum licenses don't extend into the home."

Anyway, here's the article: MagicJack's next act: disappearing cell phone fees by AP: Yahoo! Tech

It got me thinkng that if all you need is a computer hooked to the internet, you could theoretically just hook it up to your laptop and use any of the free hotspots around the country when you are traveling. No reason to limit it to just your home.

[Stogieman]

The size of a deck of cards, it plugs into a PC, which needs a broadband Internet connection. The device then detects when a compatible cell phone comes within 8 feet, and places a call to it. The user enters a short code on the phone. The phone is then linked to the magicJack, and as long as it's within range (YMax said it will cover a 3,000-square-foot home) magicJack routes the call itself, over the Internet, rather than going through the carrier's cellular tower. No minutes are subtracted from the user's account with the carrier. Any extra fees for international calls are subtracted from the user's account with magicJack, not the carrier.

I wonder how many phones you can link to one magicjack? Can it handle more than one call at a time?

[Atheist]

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

I wonder how many phones you can link to one magicjack? Can it handle more than one call at a time?

I'd be impressed if it did.

I bet the wireless carriers will fight this tooth and nail.

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by Atheist 

I bet the wireless carriers will fight this tooth and nail.

Yeah, I'm sure that they already have their lawyers brainstorming about it. The FCC as well.

[tightsocks]

Why can't they make a standalone MagicJack that doesn't nede to plug into a USB port on an always on PC...?

[mduell]

GSM (AT&T/Tmo/Tracphone) only, no CDMA (Vzw/Sprint/Alltell/PCS/US Cellular) support, so it won't work for the majority of cellular subscribers in the US. Brilliant, can't wait to see the return rates.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by tightsocks 

Why can't they make a standalone MagicJack that doesn't nede to plug into a USB port on an always on PC...?

They did, it's called Ooma. I got one recently and it works just as described.

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by mduell 

GSM (AT&T/Tmo/Tracphone) only, no CDMA (Vzw/Sprint/Alltell/PCS/US Cellular) support, so it won't work for the majority of cellular subscribers in the US. Brilliant, can't wait to see the return rates.

I think you are speaking a little too quickly. Their current audience might not be every person in the country, but it is still a very large group of people. I use t-mobile, and a lot of people on this board use AT&T (thanks to the iPhone), so I think that it is a great start. Once they have got past the initial hurdles of the smaller user-base (which is still potentially huge), they can then roll it out to the rest.

[Chuckit]

While that does sound cool, between rollover minutes and the obscene number of night/weekend minutes most plans give you, I don't ever find myself running out. Do other people have that problem very often?

[tightsocks]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

They did, it's called Ooma. I got one recently and it works just as described.

Looks like a pretty big upfront investment compared to MagicJack.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by tightsocks 

Looks like a pretty big upfront investment compared to MagicJack.

But it works 24/7 w/o a computer running. Plus, Ooma offers many more features. You pay one-time, and then it's free for life. MagicJack will charge you each year.

Both have pros and cons.

-t

[The Godfather]

You can get a used netbook for $200 and combine it with the MagicJack.

I would like to see MJ's femtocell go on the market without legal obstacles. I would switch to pre-paid cell-phone service in a heartbeat, and getting one for my office, one for my house.

Google thought THEY were revolutionizing the phone industry. They were wrong.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

You can get a used netbook for $200 and combine it with the MagicJack.

Then you might as well get Ooma for $200 and no future fees.

-t

[The Godfather]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Then you might as well get Ooma for $200 and no future fees.

-t

The Ooma is $250, so yeah.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

The Ooma is $250, so yeah.

The older version is sold regularly for under $200.

Costco had it for $ 180.

-t

[Uncle Skeleton]

Also, Ooma is the Apple of VOIP options. It was clearly designed with the user in mind, not the programmer. It looks and acts like a phone service, not like a Windows peripheral. To me, the elegance of not having my phone dangle off a netbook is worth something, and that's a big part of why I use Macs too.

I will point out though, it will cost $12 a year in phone taxes. I don't know how MagicJack deals with that, if at all, but rumor is that if you get the "hub + scout" version of Ooma, you won't have to pay the tax (Ooma will pay for you). Mine was the "hub" only, and I will have to pay (starting next year).

[pghmyn]

My aunt just got MagicJack not too long ago, and I just couldn't get it to work for some reason. I don't know what I was doing wrong with it. I gave up eventually and I think she returned it. If I knew we could get "free" minutes from it for cell phones in my house, I would convince my mom to lower our monthly amount. Would be helpful...by the way, first post here

[ibookuser2]

Originally Posted by torsoboy 

According to the article, it basically creates a mini cell-tower in your home, and they claim that it is legal without a licence "because wireless spectrum licenses don't extend into the home."

Unless you live inside a Faraday cage, radio waves are pretty good at extending out of the home where FCC spectrum licenses do apply...

[mduell]

Unless you fail math, that whole distance cubed thing adds up pretty quickly.

[besson3c]

While having these sort of options is a great thing, is there a reason to use this over Skype and a headset? I guess the advantage is free domestic calling, whereas Skype costs money? You'd have to make a *lot* of calls to both use up your minutes and justify paying for Ooma though. I guess this is where MagicJack would come in?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

While having these sort of options is a great thing, is there a reason to use this over Skype and a headset?

Using handsfree telephones that extend to multiple rooms in your home ?

-t

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

While having these sort of options is a great thing, is there a reason to use this over Skype and a headset? I guess the advantage is free domestic calling, whereas Skype costs money? You'd have to make a *lot* of calls to both use up your minutes and justify paying for Ooma though. I guess this is where MagicJack would come in?

I think the advantage is that it doesn't require additional phone hardware, and you get to keep your number. Also, with MagicJack you still use your same cell phone, it just makes it so that no minutes are counted against your plan. With Ooma, one big advantage is that you aren't tied to a computer, and the quality of the call is supposedly much better, and it offers more features than Skype (911 capabilities being a big one, IMO).

So far I haven't been willing to drop my regular line for a voip number. I just don't trust my internet providers' infrastructure as much as the telephone company's. I lose my internet connection *way* more than I lose my land line connection (never). I use Skpe for long distance, but I can always fall back to the land line if my internet is down for some reason.

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Using handsfree telephones that extend to multiple rooms in your home ?

-t

Yeah, Skype with a headset is not the greatest (unless your job is tech support and you are sitting at your computer anyway).

I have something very similar to this (different model) instead, and it works pretty well for us. It is a wireless handset that handles both regular calls and Skype calls. We have the base, plus two handsets. Amazon.com: Philips VOIP3212S - Cordless phone / USB VoIP phone - DECT - Skype + 1 additional handset(s): Office Products

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by mduell 

GSM (AT&T/Tmo/Tracphone) only, no CDMA (Vzw/Sprint/Alltell/PCS/US Cellular) support, so it won't work for the majority of cellular subscribers in the US. Brilliant, can't wait to see the return rates.

You can't use a CDMA phone on someone else's network. It's designed for vendor lockin. Why are you so surprised?

Originally Posted by tightsocks 

Looks like a pretty big upfront investment compared to MagicJack.

Of course. It includes an embedded computer. Surely you don't expect that to be free.