MagicJack Review: Call Quality Update

Call quality was pretty good for the most part this week. I had one long call (to AT&T customer support) and I think it only crackled once. Same with another local call. Both interruptions were momentary and went away in seconds.

MagicJack Review: Voicemail

Voicemail overall is very nice but there are a few "missing" features that need to be added.

First the good stuff: Getting voicemails via email is very cool. Basically, when you miss a call and the person leaves a voice message, it gets emailed to you as a sound file that you can listen to. It also has a time/date stamp so you know when the call was made. You can also access your voicemail at any time from any phone (much like any voicemail service). When your MagicJack is off, phone calls get routed straight to voicemail, which is also nice.

My only complaints: First, you can't turn it off. You also can't set the number of rings before it picks up (it's set to 4 rings no matter what). Their workaround is to adjust the number of rings on your phone's answering machine to 3 if you don't want to use your voicemail. Unfortunately, my phone only has a setting for 2 and 4 rings. Sometimes my voicemail and answering machine will both pick up the call at the same time, and it's a crapshoot to which device the message gets routed to.

MagicJack Review: The Software

A key component of the MagicJack experience is the software you must use with it. Here's an quick overview of what you can expect when you plug it into your Mac:

First Impression: It seems the Mac version of the software is just a port of the Windows version. It is definitely not Mac native. Visually, it's kinda ugly -- but I'm just being superficial (I'm a graphic designer after all). If there were the ability to create new skins for the interface, I could definitely make it look sleeker. There's a button that shrinks the window to a smaller size, but it doesn't really make a difference unless you have a small screen. Generally, I just minimize the window in the Dock and forget about it. That window maximizes automatically when you initiate or receive a call.

Functionality: It does the job. Caller ID pops up fine. There are options to switch to a headset (which I use to access voice mail from the computer). Since this is not Mac native, there aren't the usual keyboard shortcuts you can use for specific commands -- everything has to be done through the mouse.

Contacts: Contacts can be added at any time, but it seems to be easiest to turn a call into a contact by editing it. That way, you don't have to type in the number again. You can use your computer to make a call -- you just have to make sure your phone has a dial tone before using the computer to "beep in" the numbers. Unfortunately, you cannot automatically add Contacts in your Address Book to the MagicJack list, and if you are forced to reformat your MagicJack, you will obviously lose your entire Contacts database and Call Log history.

Call Log: This is actually pretty cool. It keeps track of all outgoing and incoming calls (with little triangles showing the difference between each), and the duration of each one. The calls are color coded to indicate which you accepted and which you haven't. Unfortunately, you can't set up a "automatic reject" caller ID list to weed out telemarketers -- but that's not a big deal for me.

The "Ad": I don't see why people complain about this. Basically, the left hand side of the window is devoted to a banner ad, which for now consists of MagicJack house ads. Obviously, in the future it could show ads outside of MagicJack, but for now, it's neither intrusive nor an eyesore (since you can minimize the window at any time). In my view, if ads make the service more affordable, advertise away.

Links and Call Status: The top middle of the window is devoted to your call status and bookmark links to your MagicJack settings and weather. I never use the links, personally.

Mac-friendliness: You cannot put the Mac to sleep with the MagicJack; it has caused kernel panics upon waking up. I just let the display turn off after a set amount of time to save the backlight; otherwise, the Mac is kept on or shut down when I don't want calls.

Compatibility: MagicJack doesn't seem to slow down my computer (granted, I have a Mac Pro), and I have not seen any software conflicts between it and other programs. The only unusual glitch: When I try to open some plain text files, it activates MagicJack instead of TextEdit, which forces me to drag the document over the TextEdit icon in the dock to "force" it to open in the correct program.

Initial Grade: C+
Hey, the software works on Leopard without crashing as long as you don't put it to sleep. And for its main job (making calls on your phone) it works perfectly well. However, it has a long way to go to earn an A. Some improvements I recommend include:

1. Fixing the caller ID issue
2. Saving Contacts and Call Log in a backup text file in case the MagicJack needs reformatting
3. Cleaning up the visual interface to look more "Mac native" (or at least the ability to create or choose different skins)
4. A true "small window" view that hides the keypad and/or Call Log, like in iTunes.
5. Keyboard shortcuts for commands, and the ability to import your Address Book contacts and/or sync them with your MagicJack

MagicJack Review: Incoming Calls

When I said that caller ID could be the deal-breaker, I was wrong.

[ - ] This is: I found out last weekend that I was not receiving any cell phone calls from the AT&T network. I could call their cell phones fine, no problem. However, those phones cannot call the MagicJack. The technical problem seems to stem from the fact that no numbers from my three-digit prefix seem to be registered with AT&T's phone routers -- so when people call my number, it just dead-ends in a "Sorry, This Call Cannot Be Completed as Dialed..." message.

This is specific to AT&T for some reason. I've received cell phone calls from other networks (i.e. Virgin Mobile, which I believe just piggy-backs on the Sprint network) just fine. Also no problem with AT&T land line calls.

To their credit, MagicJack claimed their engineers were on it when I informed them of the issue earlier this week. However, it's been a week and the problem was not fixed as of Thursday (although I'm cutting them a little slack -- very little -- because it's the week of Christmas). AT&T was also informed, but since I can call their phones, they claim it's something MagicJack needs to fix. To be honest, I don't know whether it's AT&T or MagicJack that's the culprit -- but the bottom line is that the MagicJack isn't receiving all the calls that my land line can.

(As I side note, I have to remark about how vastly different AT&T's customer service is compared to MagicJack's -- and to be blunt, I like MagicJack chats much better. With AT&T, I had to be put on hold and listen to canned ads while waiting -- it's like you're held hostage as you're transferred from one person to the next. MagicJack customer service chats are usually quick, and on this occasion when I was kept waiting for a response, I just surfed the net or did some chores until I saw a reply. I know some people just need a live person to speak to, but to me, I think online chats are the future of customer support.)

Since I have some key contacts that use AT&T cell phones, for them to not be able to call me via the MagicJack makes it useless. If it is not fixed before the end of my free trial, I will cancel my service.

MagicJack Review: Caller ID Issue Wrap-Up

I took one more run at customer support about the caller ID issue on the Mac (the issue of it not showing up on phones but fine on the computer softphone).

I got the impression that they didn't know much about whether it was a Mac-specific issue, so they didn't know if any future update would fix it. However, they were aware that may phones seem to exhibit this problem, and claim to be working on a fix.

When I asked them whether they could give the names of any phones or phone brands that do work with the Mac that do show caller ID on the phone, they could not supply any. So I think I'm at a dead end here for now.

Just to wrap up:

1. Having a powered USB hub didn't help me

2. Trying the "100K resistor" phone trick didn't help me 

3. Reformatting the MagicJack drive didn't help me

4. Trying a different cordless phone (Uniden to AT&T) didn't help me

[ - ] To wrap up, I think it's safe to say that unless a software fix is made, caller ID to your phone does not work at all if you're using the Mac version of MagicJack.

MagicJack Review: The Caller ID Saga

Reformatting the MagicJack for the Mac did not help with the caller ID issue.

I may take another run at customer support, but I really think that the Mac version does not support caller ID info transmitted to your phone. (However, I should point out that the number caller ID works fine on the computer app display -- but a name is only listed if it's one of your contacts).

MagicJack Review: Phone Usage After a Week

[ - ] After testing the MagicJack for a week, on average about 50 percent of calls suffer some sort of audio drop out, mainly from others unable to hear my end of the conversation. Some instances are momentary, while others persist through the phone call. It doesn't seem to matter whether the call is local or long distance, or if it's to a land line or cell phone.

Sound quality is good to excellent overall -- as long as the audio doesn't drop out, of course.

I'm unsure whether these drop outs are related to the phone routers used by MagicJack or my cable internet connection. However, I recently received a speed upgrade to my internet service, so I have reset my modem and verified the speed increase. I'll let you know if the increased download and upload speeds make a difference in the weeks ahead.

MagicJack Review: Mac Issues

Here are some issues I've had using MagicJack on a Mac:

[ - ] It does not work well waking up from sleep mode. One of the things I wanted to know is if the MagicJack would make the Mac "wake from sleep" when a phone call arrives. Well, I quickly learned that would not occur. When I manually put the Mac to sleep, the MagicJack triggered a kernel panic upon waking up, and I had to reboot.

[ - ] Upon restart, the MagicJack does not start up automatically like other USB devices connected to my Mac; the application icon needs to be clicked on to start making calls. Ideally, it would be nice if the MagicJack was a startup item, so that it would connect instantly upon restart.

These issues aren't too big of a deal since my Mac is usually on most of the time; still, it would be nice to have it sleep to save a little energy.

As a side note, I would really love to be a beta tester; I'd love to find a way to get that caller ID issue fixed and make this device truly Mac friendly.

MagicJack Review: 2nd Day Call Quality

Today was the first time I used my cell and work phones to make calls to and receive calls from my MagicJack line.

[ + ] Voice quality was good (same as other calls from/to my cell or work phone), no drop outs.

MagicJack Review: No Caller ID on Phone

The 100K resistor trick used by PC users to display caller ID on their phones did not work for me, even on a powered hub. I tried different phones but to no avail. I hit up MagicJack's online technical support again to see if it was a software limitation on the Mac side.

Instead of answering my software question, my call was escalated to the next level of support; their recommendation was to erase the MagicJack and reboot to see if that fixes the problem. This seems like generic "reinstall" advice for any software product, but since this is all new to me, I'll give it a go.

[ + ] I've read complaints about MagicJack's customer support, but so far they've been very easy to contact and chat with online. I don't care if they're reading off a script, are based outside of the United States, or may not have all the answers. Bottom line is that I don't want to wait for a reply or be put on hold; I want a quick and reasonably competent response.

MagicJack Review: Caller ID Update

[ - ] Caller ID did not display on my Uniden cordless phone upon testing with a self-powered USB 2.0 hub (my Apple Cinema Display). 

However, Caller ID does work fine showing up on the computer screen. Caller ID with name will appear only if the name is in your contacts list. Otherwise, it will just show the phone number.

I may try an actual USB hub, but I'm not holding out hope on that solution. I did see a solution PC users have tried by soldering in a 100K Ohm resistor in the phone line; I will try that first and see if there's any change.

MagicJack Review: The Caller ID Bug & Customer Care

[ - ] Caller ID doesn't work at all on my phone, although it shows up on my computer screen. This is a big feature for me, so if it doesn't work, it could be a dealbreaker.

While the Mac software is still technically a beta according to MagicJack's web site, I wanted to get to the bottom of this issue quickly. I had read on other sites that Caller ID wasn't working on the Mac version, but those postings were old.

I perused MagicJack's FAQ/Knowledgebase (which is pretty comprehensive), but couldn't find anything that helped, so I started a Live Agent chat.

[ + ] Although it was a Saturday night, the chat began right away, and the web interface was very easy to use. You don't need a MagicJack account (or ownership) to start a chat, which is actually pretty cool. Another cool chat feature was the ability to email a transcript of the chat. Below is a copy of the chat:

info: Please wait for a site operator to respond.
info: You are now chatting with 'Bernard'
Bernard: Hello, how may I help you?
nelson: Does caller ID work on the Mac version of the software?
nelson: I can't see incoming caller ID on either my phone or the Mac computer screen.
Bernard: I see
Bernard: You may need to use an AC powered USB hub Nelson
nelson: Right now its directly plugged into my Mac. Is that a problem?
nelson: What would the hub fix?
Bernard: A self ported AC powered USB hub can add a circuit connection regarding this concern and can even clear the line flow of your computer and phone.
nelson: OK, I will try it. Thanks!
Bernard: You are very much welcome
Bernard: Is there anything else I may help you with today?
nelson: No. Thanks!
Bernard: You are welcome. TAKE CARE. Please do the survey as you end the chat. Click the "CLOSE" button on the top right of this screen and the survey will appear. Have a great day ahead!

So the bottom line is that I'll need a self-powered USB hub to see if this will fix the caller ID issue. Since my Apple Cinema Display has a self-powered USB 2.0 port, I'm going to try it and let you know the results in a future post.

MagicJack Review: Talking to a Computer Test

One of my first-day MagicJack phone calls was to the USPS to clear up my missing package issue (see my previous posts). A good chunk of my phone time was devoted to speaking to a computer to navigate the customer service menus.

[ + ] VOIP was clear enough to hear my responses just fine, so the MagicJack passed this test easily.

MagicJack Review: 1st Day Call Troubles

[ - ] There were some quality issues making phone calls on my first day, one was a long-distance (to Texas), and another to a nearby cell phone. The person(s) I talked to reported drop-outs in the conversation. This never happens on our land line.

Now, it's quite possible that the drop outs were caused by something other than MagicJack, but since it had been a complaint made by many negative reviewers of the product, I had to make a note of it. I'm pretty sure that it isn't because of my Mac and/or internet connection -- both are more than fast enough to handle VOIP.

Bottom line is that I have to find out how often it occurs, and whether the drop-outs will ultimately be a small price to pay for very inexpensive service -- or a deal-breaker. Stay tuned!

MagicJack Review: My First Call & Latency Test

With my phone number in hand, I picked up my phone and heard a dial tone. I was ready to make my first call. I decided to call my current land line (now connected to a second phone nearby).

[ - ] One irritating aspect of phone calls: You always have to dial the area code, even for local (same area code) calls.

Once I realized that area code issue, my call went through. My land line phone rang.

Voice quality was OK to very good. No drop outs that I could tell. There was a slight hiss in the background, but it was noticeable only because I was listening for it. Overall, there was a difference in voice quality compared to my original land line -- but you had to listen pretty hard for it, and it wasn't that bad. I'd compare the VOIP voice quality to a very good cell phone connection.

[ + ] I guess my initial impression was that if I didn't know I was plugged into the MagicJack, I probably wouldn't have realized I was using VOIP instead of a conventional land line.

Next was the latency test, in which I got a volunteer to count to 10 with me on the phone. Obviously, with any sound communication you'll get a delay from speaker to listener, and we were definitely not in sync; like a quarter-second to half-second off when couting together. However, we were very close, and it was difficult to tell whether the latency was caused by our inability to count together to begin with.

[ + ] Bottom line was that latency, while present, wouldn't be an issue at all. It really felt and sounded like a regular phone call. It was a good first start.

MagicJack Review: My Phone Number

Obviously, before making calls you need a phone number.

[ + ] It's pretty cool to be able to choose your own state and area code.

However, in my case I wanted a local number because I wanted to replace my land line.

[ - ] Unfortunately, although numbers in my area code were available, the town I lived in was not available. Instead, I had to get a community prefix from a neighboring town. In this era of cell phones (for instance, my cell phone is actually in a different area code), it probably isn't a big deal, but it would've been nice to get a number that truly reflects where I live.

One thing that remains unclear: How your choice of phone number affects the rates others have to pay to call you. My gut is that the rate people pay to call you is indeed based on the area code you chose -- not your actual physical location. (It would be nice to get verification on this, though.)

[ + ] You can change your phone number once for free. Since you can do this online, it seems to be a very convienient option if you're moving to a different state but want to keep using your MagicJack. However, it will cost you $10 for each additional change you want to make.

MagicJack Review: Preface

Look for these icons in my review postings:

[ + ] Indicates something good about the product
[ - ] Indicates something bad about the product
[ ! ] Indicates something you should definitely be aware of

Okay ... here we go!

Day 7: Installation

Overall, installation was a breeze. I disconnected the phone cord from my landline jack to the MagicJack, then I plugged the MagicJack to the USB extension cord. Finally, I plugged the cord to the back of my Mac Pro. A blue light appeared on the MagicJack to indicate it was powered up.

The MagicJack showed up as a USB drive labeled "PHONE" on the desktop, and a pop-up window appeared to install the needed software. Installation took less than 2 minutes (as the software indicated), and the MagicJack application started up automatically.

The first step was to register with an email address and password. The next step was to set up my enhanced 911 data (fortunately, I live in an area with enhanced 911). With the 911 data, I had to wait to receive an email and confirm the info I entered before 911 was fully activated.

As part of the installation, I had to accept the Terms of Service, but since I read that earlier this week, I didn't need to review it again.

While MagicJack said it may take up to two hours for my account to activate, I was up and running immediately -- and ready to begin my review!

Day 7: Physical Examination

The MagicJack itself is very light and housed in very shiny silver/chrome-ish plastic. The logo is splashed on the front. It's about the size of a cigarette lighter. A clear window in the front lets you see the green circuit board inside.

A clear label on the front protects the finish, while the label on the back shows where the USB plug and phone jack are. Interestingly, the back label also shows the FCC product registration number (#A921) and that a patent is pending for the device.

The USB extension cable is only about six inches long, and it's probably for those who'd have trouble plugging in the MagicJack into their computer due to its size and shape (USB ports are pretty close together on a Mac. For the purposes of this review, I will use the USB extension cable to make sure it works with the MagicJack.

Day 6: Arrival!

The MagicJack finally arrived on Friday! So in my case, it took six days from order to arrival using standard shipping; however, the USPS tracking number indicated that it took three days to get to my house. Weird ... I know USPS was having trouble with their tracking system earlier this week, to maybe that was the culprit.

Anyway, the MagicJack arrived in a white plastic envelope. Inside is a white foam pad that houses the MagicJack and a USB cable (there are also cutouts for a second MagicJack and cable so that two units can ship in one package).

The foam pad was protected by a cardboard piece that shows instructions on how to install the unit.

I'll have more about the install process shortly, but other than the weird tracking discrepancy, it arrived in great condition.

Day 5: Trouble

Imagine that: The first problem I have with my MagicJack has absolutely nothing to do with the company. Long story short, the USPS said delivery was confirmed yesterday morning, but I never saw it on my doorstep. While foul play is possible, I suspect it was lost or delivered to the wrong address. I called USPS and reported a missing package; they said to wait until Friday to see if it shows up. We'll see.

Day 2: Order Shipped!

MagicJack sends you an email to confirm when your order is shipped (via USPS) and gives you a tracking number. I ordered on a Sunday and got the email Monday evening -- so roughly 24 hours from order to ship for me.

It'll be interesting to see how long the package takes to arrive given the holidays.

Tests and Questions: Part 1

This is not an actual post: Just a list of tests I plan to do with the MagicJack:

1. Latency: I read that a good way to test latency is to have the person on the phone count to 10 with you.

2. Sleep Mode: Will the Mac awake from sleep when an incoming call arrives?

3. CPU Usage: I'll look to see how much of the CPU is taxed when the MagicJack is idle and when it's in use.

4. After Day 30: One of my nagging worries is that for your free trial, they link you to "new" servers with little congestion. The voice quality and performance are great, and you get hooked. Then after Day 30, they link you to the "regular" servers with more congestion and less reliable service. (I have to stress that I have seen absolutely no evidence that this actually occurs -- it's just worrysome speculation on my part.) Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with VOIP in general, so my only point of comparison will be to my current land line.

Any other things you want me to check on? Send me an email. Otherwise, I'll see you again once the MagicJack arrives in the mail.

About this Mac

Well, I should give you the specs of my "testing" Mac:

* Intel Mac Pro Quad-Core

* Leopard 10.5.5

* 5 GB RAM

* Comcast Broadband Internet (basic)

* D-Link DI-524 router (however, I have a fully wired ethernet connection)

Given these specs, my Mac is definitely qualified for VOIP via MagicJack. I read that VOIP in general only takes up 32Kbps to 64Kbps of bandwidth, but we'll see.

(As a side note, I wonder how many of the "bad" MagicJack reviews come from people trying it over a wireless connection, especially G and/or B. My iBook wireless drops out all the time due to interference from other networks and/or weak signal. I would never expect my network to provide a solid connection.)

So although I have yet to try out MagicJack, I really think a wired ethernet connection to your router is the only way to expect reliable phone service without audio drop-outs. We'll see soon enough...

Day 2: Researcher's Remorse

As I stated in an earlier post, I bought MagicJack without doing my full "due diligence" research like I normally do with tech products. This is because I thought the "free trial" offer was to expire on Dec. 7 ... and in reality, it was just a marketing ruse. Shame on me.

Anyway, I jumped on Google to dig up as much info as I could to see what I was in for. The two things I noticed were the lack of Mac-only reviews and assistance, and the polarized reviews -- some hated MagicJack, others loved it. 

I'm very skeptical of user reviews, as I know of companies who make their employees write glowing reviews of their own products and/or slam competitors. That's why I started this blog: to get my unbiased view out there to "cut through the clutter" and help other Mac users.

Anyway, during my Google research, some major issues popped up that interested users should definitely know about:

911 Service: This scared me at first, but after the fine print, I felt a little better -- namely because I live in a town with Enhanced 911. I'd probably feel much different if I didn't. Read the fine print here and come to your own conclusions.

I've always been leery of 911 over VOIP -- namely should the power and/or internet go out, I'm screwed. But in retrospect, my broadband connection (with Comcast) has only gone down on me a few times in the past year, each lasting less than a day. In addition, since my land line phones are cordless, they wouldn't work anyway if my power went out.

Area code and phone number: This was dumb of me, but I didn't realize that some area code phone numbers aren't available right away via MagicJack. Fortunately, mine (708) is available, according to MagicJack's official list as of today. Anyway, since I wanted this as a replacement to my land line, I definitely want a "local" number so that people calling me weren't racking up long-distance bills. 

I'll let you know whether I actually receive a local number, but one of the "small print" things that bothered me was that you don't actually "own" your phone number -- MagicJack does. MagicJack with written notice can change your phone number whenever it wants, and your only recourse is to cancel the service. Still, I couldn't find a case of this actually happening to someone, so I'm not going to lose sleep over it just yet.

Computer always on: On the one hand, it's cool that if your computer is off, incoming calls go straight to voicemail. However, since emergency calls can come in any time of day or night, you'll need to keep your computer always on just in case.

For me, this isn't a problem. My computer is always on -- my real interest is if the Mac will "wake up" for an incoming call if it's in sleep mode.

Advertising and business model: The software that you must use with MagicJack includes space for a banner. Well, if ads in the software will help keep my yearly cost down, advertise away. But I'll wait to find out how obnoxious it really is before making a final judgment.

What worries me is that I have no idea how this company is making money selling phone service for so cheap. Will they jack up prices once you're hooked in? Will they go belly up? Will they barrage you with annoying ads?

Mac bugs and beta: I read that some features such as Caller ID aren't fully working as you'd expect. Even worse, MagicJack's customer care page still lists the Mac software as "in beta" -- but they don't mention this on the sign-up page! Personally, I think an icon that shows "works with Intel Macs" shouldn't be used when beta software is involved ... but I'll reserve final judgment for when I actually start using it.

Why Take the Plunge ... er, Dip?

Why did MagicJack catch my eye when other services in the past didn't?

I think the main attraction (other than the "free trial offer") was that I could use my regular phones WITHOUT disconnecting my current land line. I really want to try these services side by side to see how they stack up. If MagicJack is reliable enough to replace my land line, I could save more than $400 per year on phone bills. In this economy, that's a big deal to me.

Anyway, I consider myself a light phone user. Mainly family talk with a little business mixed in. All in the U.S. -- never international. I have a cell phone, but only for emergencies and occasional calls. Since I don't expect to tax MagicJack's bandwidth limits (because "unlimited" never really means "unlimited"), I'm hoping this service will offer the same level of service at a much lower price point.

Day 1: Signing Up

Normally, I do a lot of product research before buying anything online, but when I got to MagicJack's web site, I saw this message:

(Hurry, Free Trial Offer not available in stores and only available here until Sunday, December 07, 2008. Only 20,000 magicJacks are still available for this Free Trial Offer!)

Today was Sunday, Dec. 7, so I figured, "Oh crap, better sign up before the free trial offer ends." In retrospect, that date might change tomorrow to "Dec. 8" and then "Dec. 9" as a slick marketing ploy to get you to act right away -- well, if it is a ploy, it suckered me.

UPDATE: Yes, that date changes each day. Crafty marketing ploy, indeed!

Anyway, when I clicked on the "Click Here for Free Trial" button, the first page makes you enter your shipping info and email address. After that, you'll be asked to enter your credit card info. (If this step seems shady, credit cards such as Discover let you generate secure credit card numbers so you don't have to use your actual card info.)

Once this occurs, you'll be asked to "verify" your shipping info to complete your order. Frankly, this is where the somewhat shady "pressure marketing" begins: You'll be shown a number of "special act-now-or-it's-gone-forever deals" such as:

• Paying for five years of service at a discount: Are you nuts? Will MagicJack even be around in five years? My advice: DO NOT pay for extended service just because it sounds like a great deal. Make MagicJack prove that it can survive 30 days or one year first.
• Pay right away rather than wait until the end of the trial period to get charged: I didn't get this offer ... I want to make sure this gadget works as advertised before I pay a single cent.
  
• Buy additional MagicJacks: Again, why would I buy more units when I haven't found out yet whether the thing even works?
• Pay $3.95 for "speedy shipping": This seemed like a money grab, so I declined. (Upon later research that evening, I learned that MagicJacks are sent pretty quickly with the standard shipping, so I'm glad I didn't bother. I'll let you know how quickly my package arrives.)

There might have been other offers, but the ones listed are the only ones I remember. (Now that I'm blogging this experience, I'll take better notes in the future).

After all the offers, I got to the final confirmation page and received a confirmation email. Although the "cost" is touted as $39.95 for the first year, there is also a $6.95 shipping charge, so the total "first-year" cost comes out to $46.90.

Something else that kind of rubbed me the wrong way was that their "30-day free trial" starts when you order. Which means that if it takes 10 days for me to receive the MagicJack, I'll actually only get 20 days to test it out before my credit card gets charged, so that seems like deceptive advertising in my book.

However, I will not judge MagicJack further until I actually try it out, so I'll be checking the mail in anticipation. 

Day 1: Taking the Plunge

The first I heard of MagicJack was a coupon-section ad in the Chicago Tribune today. I currently pay more than $40 a month on my home phone bill, so the idea of paying $40 a year for phone service definitely got my attention.

I had looked into Vonage earlier this year, but the price differential wasn't enough for me to switch. Plus, I didn't want to buy Vonage-compatible hardware in case I didn't like the service.

To be honest, the ad seemed too good to be true, and I might have ignored it until I saw the offer for a "100% risk-free 30-day trial." That reeled me in: Worst-case scenario was that the service sucked, and I'd return it to get my money back. So I went to their web site and signed up for a free trial. More on that in the next post...

Welcome!

I started this blog specifically to document my experience with buying, installing and using MagicJack on the Mac. I've read a lot of reviews (good and bad) about the MagicJack, but its hard to find a central location devoted specifically to Mac users like myself.

I know a lot of companies set up fake blogs to pump their product (or dump on a competitor), but I assure you this is not the case. I am a graphic artist in the Chicago area and have a journalism degree, so I think of this as a creative writing outlet, as well as a way to "gather all the facts" about using MagicJack on the Mac.

Please contact me at augrde at gmail dot com if you have any questions or suggestions for the development of this blog. Thanks!