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Q I'm interested in the Magic Jack device for making Internet telephone calls, nevertheless it seems too good to be true. And, if everybody used it, would that affect the telephone companies?

A Magic Jack is one of several services that provide free or low-cost Internet telephone calls if you already have a broadband Internet connection. Other brands include Ooma, Vonage and Skype. Many cable TV companies offer a similar service.

What all of these services have in common is that they bypass the traditional telephone network by converting your voice into data packets that can travel over the Internet. So yes, telephone companies would be adversely affected if everyone used Internet telephone service.

Consumer Reports review of Magic Jack

For a Consumer Reports review of Magic Jack, see tinyurl.com/3m2tvnf. For more background on Internet telephone service, see tinyurl.com/3rwdxku. Note that Internet phone service is as well called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

E-mail tech questions to steve.j.alexander @gmail.com, or write to Tech Q&A, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488. Include name, city and telephone number.