[Hidden-tech] magicjack phone thingy

[Charles Wilber]

Hi, Tom. I have not had any direct experience with this device but I would
caution anyone who is considering using it as a primary telephone line to
read the fine print very carefully. The device appears to be yet another
implementation of "Voice over Internet Protocol" (VoIP) and, if so, will be
subject to the same technical and business model problems others such as
Vonage have encountered. Vonage, as you might already know, has been losing
money since the company first announced itself to the public and has been
embroiled in patent infringement litigation that could well drive it into
bankruptcy.

As a veteran of almost 20 years in telecommunications I have become
extremely skeptical of anything that appears to be another "free lunch."
Invariably, there are hidden costs either immediately or somewhere down the
line. These costs might be in the form of hidden or additional fees. They
might also be in the form of unsatisfactory performance or reliability.

The advertising web site throws up some red flags. It claims that the voice
quality is excellent "because you are talking on your phone, not on your
computer." However, your phone is plugged directly into a USB device which
is then plugged directly into your computer. That seems misleading to me.

Be careful before signing any long-term agreements or releasing any credit
card information!

Charlie Wilber
Manresa Information Systems
Email: telemerge at gmail.com

On Jan 5, 2008 1:44 PM, Tom / Reelife Productions <tomadams at gmail.com>
wrote:

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> hello,does anyone have experience with the little gizmo magicjack.com?
> Seems too good to be true.  I also see that they have a mac version in
> beta...wondering if anyone on a mac can share their experience using it...
> if it does what is says it does, it seems like a no brainer for $20/yr.
>
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Tom Adams
> Director/Owner
> Reelife Documentary Productions
> "cool digital audio/video stuff...not boring or dumb"
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