At Tue, 5 Jan 2010 12:08:47 -0500 Frank Aronson <fsaronson at gmail.com> wrote: > > > Keep in mind that both MagicJack and Phone Power are both VoIP and are not > true landlines. The great advantage to Phone Power is that it doesn't > require a "server" (a computer to run the software) as its all contained in > the "free" adapter (a la Vonage). I assume it also works a bit better than > MagicJack and the cost is lower than Vonage (right now you can get a > residential line for $8.33/year with a two year commitment). > > The only *true* landline you're going to find is Verizon. We have Comcast, > but if you lose power, you're pretty much down (yes, there's a battery > backup, but it doesn't last forever). The old copper lines will still > provide power to your wired phone even if you can't see the buttons in the > dark! It should also be noted: Verizon wants to get out of the copper landline business. Verizon is also *barely* maintaining the copper landline infrastructure, which in rural areas can be pretty bad (there are people who lose phone service when it rains because the phone cables fill up with water). Oh, Verizon charges something like $60/month for service that is equivalent to Vonage (eg nationwide long distance, voicemail, etc.). Not really the best deal available (probably the *worst* deal available). > > Frank > -- Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller at deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/