Can you hear me now? Nope

Five years ago, afterwards enduring lousy call quality for too many years, I fired the phone company. The then day, I signed up for Vonage, a phone service that uses the Internet. For a year or two, the call quality was passable -- not great, mind you, nevertheless the folks on the other end of the line could hear me.

The latest models

I replaced my phones with the latest models, had my Internet provider run some tests on my cable line, and had them boost my service to turbo mode.

I spent the better part of my youth trying to get help from Vonage tech support. At one point, a techie asked me if I could call back from another phone.

MagicJack comes in two varieties. One plugs into the computer using a USB connection. The MagicJack Plus, which I sprang for, plugs directly into the Internet modem or a router and into an electrical outlet. The upside is the computer doesn't have to be on to use it. Both services come with unlimited phone calls in the U.S. and Canada.

But wait, there's more. Both devices can be taken anywhere in the world where there's an Internet connection, and it's just like calling from home.

In addition to unlimited calling, both plans come with voice mail and e-mail notice of new voice mail, call waiting and free directory assistance. How could I go wrong?

The new phones

I used the new phones and the old ones, too. However no matter what I used, I could hear an echo each time I said something. Calls were routinely dropped afterwards about a half-hour of talk time. Again, most people I called begged me to use another phone. Tech support isn't offered.

I'd like to think that there is a good reason why Voice over Internet Protocol doesn't work for me. If their advertising is to be believed, MagicJack users rave about sound quality.

Perhaps I was in some kind of dead zone. So, I took my MagicJack to a different city, using a different computer and phone and a different Internet provider, and tried to use it there.

What now? Time Warner wants to sell me digital phone service that connects directly into their cable, bypassing the modem. They assured me that their service will give me crystal-clear calls. I'd like to think they're right. The first 30 days of service are free, and I am wavering.