YMax MagicJack: Inexpensive Calling That Relies on a Computer

The MagicJack service first arrived on the VoIP scene back in 2007, with an offer too tantalizing to ignore: unlimited local and long-distance calling for a mere $20 per year (after the first year, which was included with the $40 MagicJack hardware), plus free international calls to other MagicJack owners.

The Zippo lighter-size MagicJack plugs into a USB port

The Zippo lighter-size MagicJack plugs into a USB port, where it automatically installs its own software. Plug any corded or cordless phone into its RJ-11 jack (or connect a headset to your PC), and presto: You have a dial tone. It's that easy.

MagicJack's embedded dashboard software maintains a call history and a contact list, both of whichare available on the device wherever you plug it in. In fact, portability is one of MagicJack's best assets. For example, you can plug it into any computer anywhere, and as long as there's a broadband connection (even via a 3G modem), you'll have a dial tone.

Device like this

Call quality makes or breaks a device like this, and MagicJack performed quite well--most of the time. When it was plugged into a desktop wired to my router, incoming and outgoing calls sounded consistently loud and clear.When I plugged it into a netbook connected via 802.11g Wi-Fi, however, some calls were fine while others dropped. In one instance the phone rang, but when I picked up the receiver, the call went dead.

Need help with issues like these? Don't look for a support number to call--there isn't one. The only support option is online chat, assuming you can find it on YMax's hideous, infomercial-inspired Website. When I did, I was quickly connected to an online tech who provided helpful, courteous answers to my questions. Even so, the lack of a customer-service department reachable by phone gives me pause.

Ultimately, I found MagicJack to be a very reliable phone service, as long as I used it with an ethernet-connected PC. But reliable enough to replace a landline? I'd recommend testing it for yourself before you make that decision. If nothing else, it makes for a fine second line that the kids can use without tying up the home phone and racking up huge bills.