Next ‘Magic Jack’ promises free cell phone calls
Even if you’re not a fan of “As Seen on TV” products, you’ve no doubt heard of the Magic Jack by now. Popularized by a year-old informercial, this clever product turns your computer into an inexpensive landline alternative. Now, YMax Corp. has unveiled its next product at CES — and you won’t believe what it can do.
In case you haven’t yet tried the current $40 Magic Jack product (now available in Canada), you simply insert this small thingamajig into an available USB port on your PC, plug in a regular telephone jack into the other end and talk via VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology.
It costs $20/year for unlimited calls to Canada and the U.S.
My friends who use it swear by it.
At last week’s 2010 CES in Las Vegas, YMax Corp. introduced the next iteration of the Magic Jack, that also allows for unlimited cell phone calls in the home.
Say, what? Yep, that’s the idea.
The device is said to automatically detect and connect with nearby GSM-based cell phones, intercepting the signal from a local cell phone tower and then rerouting the calls over the Internet (broadband connection required). Voila, no cellular fees.
This is legal, you ask? YMax says it is, because wireless licensing doesn’t extend inside of the home. Um, I expect a few carriers to challenge this claim.
The new Magic Jack will be available in Canada and the U.S. later this year for the same price as the existing one ($40).
Too good to be true? Time will tell.
I bought magicjack a few weeks ago and love it. I visit my daughter in another state and my magicjack works the same as it does at home. Can’t waite to get the magicjack for my cell. I tell all my friends about the magicjack when I talk to them from it and they see how clear it is..
Thank you magicjack…
Does Sharon P work for Magic Jack?
That said, it does sound amazing!
LOL….No I don’t work for MagicJack. I have had no problems so far with it. I just plugged it into my computer and followed the instructions. Works great.
I bought the Magic Jack about 2 months ago too,
Calls to USA and Pto Rico for free….
Can’t beleive!
I keep the home phone without any extras,
just the basic,just in case.
i am very inpresst about your magic jack please let me no were to buy it in canada
The Source has them for $49.00, you an also buy it on line
I am from Barrie,I choose 705 code
late a night there is a tv comercial about Magic,
call them, no one answer the call,
It’s all automatic, have yor credit card on hand.
about 7 minutes later ,I was register ,an email from the company appear in my hotmail.
Tip, if you choose Canada’s codes,cost you$10 yearly
if you choose an USA code ,no extra pay,
but any friend that contact you , they will be charged long distance to reach example 727 code Florida .
I MADE THAT MISTAKE, choose USA ,and later paid $10 penalty . to change that code to my today’s 705 Canada.
long distance to South America it’s only $0.11 cents minute,
Bell charge me $0.49 cents with the long distance package.
service it’s exellent, all together for 5 yrs about $140.00.
$40.00 doll long distance deposit to call any where in the world, just in case.
very happy investment
I bought a magic jack, when they first came out and have not been able to use it as it cuts outs constantly and making conversations impossible. I tried it on many different computers, different providers and different phones and in different countries (Canada, US and Mexico) I have also spent literally hours with their on-line help chat on quite a few occasions. (They have no provision for telephone conversations – kind of ironic) Many promises made; none that they came through on. Despite the fact that no calls (see above – impossible to talk) were made, they still want me to pay for last year’s service. So obviously a dud unit, and their customer service is zero. (Although they do not mind spending hours on the chat line. One word of warning here, they do like to transfer you to a supervisor (?) every time they do this you have to start from zero, so cut and paste your conversation before this happens, otherwise you go through the same routine again, I honestly do not think that supervisors and the chat people are remotely near each other)
Having said that it is a neat concept and if it works wow! I may buy another unit, but considering that over the course of two years, they were unable to solve the problem and did not follow up with what they promised, I should know better, ….
I bought 2 last year (for the price of one) with money back guarantees…neither would work with 3 computers I tried, so I sent them back…never got my money back….not worth the hassle to fool with it
Well,theres likley a few problems that your having :
1. You have to have a USB high speed port (2.0)
if you are connected to a computer a few years old,it may still be using usb 1.o technology.
I had problems myself w/magic jack,it would always drop the calls after only 4-6 minutes.Then I switched to usb high speed 2.0 now I talk for hours and *no* droped calls.
2. your firewall is likley blocking the magic jacks connection to the internet,I found this out the hard way myself after trying to install the device on a vista computer.
After I disabled it(the firewall)(it works 110% .
3. Your internet connection may be to slow.I have a max of 1 meg/se and thats obviously light internet,but it works with no problems,and clear like any other voip phone,if I dont download torrents or update while using the phone .
These are some problems I have ran into,and I must say that its an excellent device,just get a “dry-loop” through bell(if your in Canada)that means you dont have an active phne line but you still get dsl through the internet,then attach your
Magic jack!My *only* expense monthly for phone plus internet is 35.90 before tax.
I’ve had mine for 2years love it.
Been using Magic Jack for about two months now and it had been working great, but just ran into a problem. Within the last couple of days making calls to cell phones, e.g. AT&T and Verizon won’t connect, about 4-5 rings then a busy signal. Spoke to another person in town and they’ve noticed the same thing. Seems the cell companies are blocking calls. Can call my magic jack # from my cell phone and it works, plus everything works fine with standard land lines. Support said that they’ll forward my complaint to their technical engineering department. Oh well knew that the big boys were only going to be pushed around for so long before they interrupted the party.
I had the same problem,all you need to do to “nix” this problem is use a VOX ld phone card,its cheap,and a little bit annoying you punch the numbers in all the time but works,and its c h e a p.oops,I allready said that:)
where do you get the vox IP cards. I had the same problem in Feb 2011. Problem is not fixed in the last year. I am outside the US and I can’t dial to a cell:(
can’t believe that something so cheap actually works. I highly recommend this product. My local company is offering 3 free months of phone service, I just have to laugh.
I have found that a D-Link 625 router if it is has the wireless turned on will cause the magicjack to become choppy and drop calls
I have found that an older slowly dying linksys w45t router emits frequencies that cause a magicjack to drop calls.
I have found that 2.5ghz wireless phones will cause magicjack and many wireless routers to drop an internet connection. (5 ghz and higher wireless phones work fine)
I have found that third party software that monitors internet traffic such as netnanny blocks magicjack.
I have found that ISP bandwidth throttling by unscrupulous internet providers (they know who they are) will cause magicjack to not work and drop calls.
I have seen malware hijack and redirect an internet connection.
I have found that V-tech wireless phones are garbage and useless to use with magicjack.
I use 2 magicjacks, one at home, and one for travel, i bought several more as gifts for family, we all love them, and I personally have saved over $1,400.00 in the 2 years I have been using it.
anyone that had or is having trouble with a magicjack simply needs to do quality troubleshooting, 99 percent of the troubles are virus/trojans,or hardware issues, those are not magicjack problems.
I started with one, and now have, count em!, five Jacks of Magic! I needed a fax line and a private non-public number. Etc etc. I love em, and they travel great! I even ordered a miniature phone and a small case to carry them in. I cannot think of a single reason to ever go back…. unless….. they forget their simple business model and begin treating customers to non-functional garbage service littered with excuses. Unfortunatey, history is strewn with great companies with winning ideas that did just that.
Thanks for the info. have been “Jacked” since last spring but would have to say the service has been spotty at best. Really want to make it work but peole find it is very hard to phone in to me and outgoing calls,while better than incoming, are also very inconsistent.
bought a new quad core computer to see if it helped but no improvement. wondering if the Jack is a victim of it’s own success and system is overloading at peak times.
will go through your checklist to troubleshoot but I am becoming pessimistic
I have been using the majicjack for two months now. The only issue I’ve had with it is some interference/noise interuption. For those of you that have had the same problem or those with dropped calls. Here is your solution: buy a telephone noise suppressor!!! This has eliminated all issues with my majicjack or phone! The noise suppressor is a unit that you install just as easy as the majicjack (betwween your home phone and the the telephone line). Cost: $1-$3 dollars at any dollar store; a little more at the Source, Best Buy etc.
TIP: You need a noise suppressor if you call from a phone/fax machine. I fax all over the world…no long distance charges with the majicjack.
Sounds too good to be true? Yes but with the use of the majicjack all is good. Enjoy saving thousands of dollars. I also use it in my Paralegal firm!!!
JOSEPH – Ontario Paralegal Services
I love it! I have been using it since February of this year. I used it at home with cordless phones and on the road with the softphone. The quality is excellent! I have NOT experienced dropped calls. I have 2 issues that perhaps I could get assistance with: the first is that I cannot place calls to toll-free numbers; and the second is that I cannot call 438 area code numbers (my husband cell phone). I have talked with Customer Service – very friendly and obliging – but have not gotten any solutions.
I think the Magic Jack is very functional and I am very glad to have it. It works great, is inexpensive and best of all when I travel I can phone home to Canada from trips in the US and Hawaii and there is no interference at all. I like the fact that it is inexpensive unlike the local company that has a monopoly here in Calgary alberta and unlike the local company, not only are they unusually inexpensive, the staff on chat are very good and work hard to help. I think the criticism against this company by a few negative people is uncalled for. Changing your number at a cost of $10.00 is diddly sqat when you consider what you pay PER YEAR. If you pay the current amount $69.95 for five years, that is less then $15.00 PER YEAR, NOT PER MONTH. So why would anyone want to COMPLAIN? I FIND THE LINES TO BE CLEAR AND I HAVE HAD IT FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. The telecommunication company is working on various other services for cell phones. I love iwhat they are doing. i would think that this company is going to be huge and I for one would love to buy stocks in it for they will skyrocket in a few short years.
I have a few questions abut Magic jack. I registered my Magic Jack in Toronto, Canada, my question is What if i’m going to call my friends who is in Calgary, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba using my magic jack do i have a long distance charge on that? or do they have a charge?
Hi Menchie, I am in Montreal and have been using Magic Jack since February of this year. With Magic Jack there are NO long distance charges, for you or for your friends, anywhere in Canada AND the United States for calls placed or received. However, if your friends have cell phones (as opposed to home phones) whether they get charged depends on their plan with their carrier. For example I am with Telus and if I am out of my home area and I receive a long distance call, I get charged long distance by Telus (not Magic Jack). If I am in my home area I do not have a long distance charge. Also, if your friends are placing a call to you, depending on the area code you have, they may incur long distance charges with their carrier. This situation has nothing to do with Magic Jack and would be the same if the call would come from any other phone.
Thank you Marie for the information about Magic Jack…:-) So I can call now my friends on their telephone weather they are in calgary or manitoba…:-)
Thank you very much,
Hi Marie… I am also in Montreal :)
I have some questions.. can you email/msg Me please?
CLOGIC on yahoo messenger or clogic@videotron.ca
Thanks :)
Pick up your magic Jack phone, and call anywhere in North America….. FREE.. NO long distance Charges..
I have A London # and it works great.. Actually have 2 Magic Jacks. The first one is on a Maine #..
Find it very good and reliable. If I’m not ON the call goes to voice mail , and I get an Email with the message attached..
Great to be able to time stamp and archive the messages.
I have renewed the service for the 5 years , and will keep it .
An excellent product One heck of a lot cheaper than a fixed landline. The land line costs $ 25+ a month for a minimum $300.00 a year..plus long distance charges..
Magic Jack is the BEST ever !!
I have a mgic jack registered in US – California. I’m planning to call (telephone -landline) my friend in toronto, Canada, is there any charge for me and my friend?
Hi Suzette, there is no charge for you. If your friend has a MJ, there is no charge for them. If your friend has a landline or a cell, it is the same as if you would be calling them from a landline or a cell in the US.
On the website it says you can make long distance calls from your cell phone now. I bought credits but have not received a code by email. I’ve been online with their live agent for 40 minutes waiting a reply. Any suggestions?
CanadianEh, was your intention to make LD calls from your cell to the US or Canada, or another country?
I hope they live up to their claims, and i think they should….their 1st magicjack has been working right…..I’ve used it for about 18 months, and it saves me over $600 last year….magicjack is great….Because of this i invested in the company that owns it……….check out their stock (CALL) trading at high volume on the nasdaq and making me some big profits
Hi there,
I was looking at getting a majicjack however I was just wondering are you only able to have one phone per MJ? Meaning the only place I would have a phone is my Office and if I wanted to have multiple phones in my house I would have to have multiple MJ’s? How does work if you only have one computer in the house?
Also do you have to cancel your current landline to have it? I was thinking about buying it but didn’t want to cancel my current phone number yet until I was sure I liked it.
thanks to anyone who can help
Ashley;
You definately do not need to cancel your current landline, I have both going. I travel, so I take it with me, so I have kept my landline.
I have a cordless phone that you only have to plug in one base and the other 2 bases are for charging only. This gives me 3 phones that are all on the MajicJack.
Good Luck.
I just got a magic jack about two weeks ago. Installed on my computer no problem. Works great so far. Also plugged it into my girlfriend’s computer who lives out of town. Works on her computer as well. I can carry the phone number with me at both places. Those who get it should be on high speed internet service and have an up to date computer.
So far, I am happy with the service.
I purchased the MajicJack last month, I have called as far as Sudbury and as close as Oakville, with NO problems, there are no extra charges at all,Sound is perfect. I waited for a bill of some kind…NONE.
I think you will be very happy you decided to try it, I have about 4 people so far on my xmas list for one. Why does Bell or Rogers charge so much for long distance when it is this simple?
What a great article. I am searching this for long time. Thank you for your information.
There is an issue that has not been mentioned here. Magicjack has moved your contacts onto there server. They will be using that info to contact anyone you add to your contact list or call, or phones you in the future to market to them. This is the only thing that keeps me from getting another MagicJack and purchasing a longer package.
Johnnie,
Contacts have always been saved on their server, as far as I know. However, no one from my contact list has EVER been contacted for marketing or any other purposes. They do not use or share that information, to my knowledge. Unless you have proof, I would suggest that you stay away from speculation. Does anyone else on this forum have tangible experience with MJ possibly sharing this “private” information? I will read their “Agreement” to see if anything is said there.
OK, I found the Terms and Conditions at: http://www.magicjack.com/tos/. At para 11 it is written: “We do not provide any personal information to our advertisers or third parties.”
I’ve had two different MJ’s. The first unit was defective and quit working after a few months and was not under warranty so I had to purchase a new unit. I’ve used the two units a lot over the last year and a half, most of the time without issues. There are some phone numbers that I cannot get calls to go thru, ever, doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it, not the area codes, just certain numbers for some reason. For instance, I have a family member that lives in California with two phone lines in the house, I can easily make calls to one of the phones but have never been able to have a call go thru on the other line. I can call that number from my landline or cell phone at any time however. I’ve contacted the MJ folks, they send it to engineering, nothing has ever been resolved. Am I satisfied with the service? Probably 80%…Eighty percent because about 20% of my calls won’t go thru…
What do you expect for something so cheap!!!!!!!!
THIS PRODUCT ! ! ! ITS THE BEST DAMN LIL GADGET THAT I HAVE EVER USED. HAVE MANY, GIVIN OUT MANY, AND MENTIOND AND TOLD MANY ABOUT THIS GREAT PRODUCT. NEVER HAVE I HAD ANY PROBLEMS. IT WAS AS EASY AS THAT LIL GRL PLUGD IN AND USED ON THE COMMERCIAL. A MONKEY CAN USE IT !