Originally Posted by
GadgetFreak
That is what I am trying to figure out. I have Skype on everything basically and use it a lot. I use it for conference calls on a USB speakerphone almost daily. Likewise I use it for most of my calls from my office from either the speaker or a handset and at home from my notebook and when traveling from the same. I also just use the built in speaker and microphone on my Mac notebooks and it works fine. I dont notice any quality issues 90% of the time, and when I do, I call back. I have a Skype Pro account so it is $3 a month and I have unlimited calls.
Is there any advantage of Magic Jack over Skype? Thanks.
It's a matter of personal opinion, I think.
MagicJack will do everything you've described, though there is a specific hack to use MagicJack as a softphone without having to have the dongle. However, if you don't mind plugging in the dongle, you don't have to bother with the hack. It works fine with the built-in microphone and speaker of laptops (which, I think, includes Macs).
The cost is probably comparable.
I find the quality of the MJ to be superior to Skype, and also find I have fewer problems. With everything tuned up nicely, 99.9% of my calls are problem free.
MJ offers one primary advantage over Skype: you can use it with any landline phone. My MJ at home is connected to a standard DECT 6.0 wireless landline phone (from AT&T). This lets me use it anywhere in the house on the four extensions. It supports Caller ID. You can use MJ with any kind of traditional phone hardware-- you don't need a USB phone, etc.
I've heard differing reports on the ability to use the MJ to send faxes. I haven't tried it yet.