Magicjack
Sep 28, 2009 | 11:52 am
#152
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: ELP
Programs: AA EXP/LT PLAT, Marriott Titanium/LT PLAT
Posts: 4,140
I got back from a trip to Brazil and used MagicJack:
1) Attached to suppliers personal laptop, plugged a cheapir phone and it worked just fine.
2) Went to hotel, used agents laptop and HOTEL room phone...and worked perfectly.
Dad lives in India and has a magicjack so we have an ELP number in India.
Great technology...wonder how long it will last.
1) Attached to suppliers personal laptop, plugged a cheapir phone and it worked just fine.
2) Went to hotel, used agents laptop and HOTEL room phone...and worked perfectly.
Dad lives in India and has a magicjack so we have an ELP number in India.
Great technology...wonder how long it will last.
Sep 28, 2009 | 2:13 pm
#153
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,854
I now have two of them, and use them ofte and rarely have any difficulties, I just renewed the first one, and got the 5 year 59.99 deal, so we are talking about a dollar a month, it really cannot be beat, looking at some forums I am flabbergasted at some of the service expectations some have of MJ.
Sep 28, 2009 | 2:49 pm
#154
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Springfield,MO,USA
Programs: UA 1K MM, HH Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,637
http://rickyspears.com/blog/2009/08/...-218-339-2500/
http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb/shown...9/09/02/16566/
Jan 8, 2010 | 8:50 pm
#155
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: gggrrrovvveee (ORD)
Programs: UA Pt, Marriott Ti, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 6,095
MagicJack for your cell phone
I wonder what the fallout of this will be...
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/us_tec...show_magicjack
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/us_tec...show_magicjack
The company behind the magicJack, the cheap Internet phone gadget that's been heavily promoted on TV, has made a new version of the device that allows free calls from cell phones in the home, in a fashion that's sure to draw protest from cellular carriers.
The new magicJack uses, without permission, radio frequencies for which cellular carriers have paid billions of dollars for exclusive licenses.
YMax Corp., which is based in Palm Beach, Fla., said this week at the International Consumers Electronics Show that it plans to start selling the device in about four months for $40, the same price as the original magicJack. As before, it will provide free calls to the U.S. and Canada for one year.
The device is, in essence, a very small cellular tower for the home.
The size of a deck of cards, it plugs into a PC, which needs a broadband Internet connection. The device then detects when a compatible cell phone comes within 8 feet, and places a call to it. The user enters a short code on the phone. The phone is then linked to the magicJack, and as long as it's within range (YMax said it will cover a 3,000-square-foot home) magicJack routes the call itself, over the Internet, rather than going through the carrier's cellular tower. No minutes are subtracted from the user's account with the carrier. Any extra fees for international calls are subtracted from the user's account with magicJack, not the carrier.
The new magicJack uses, without permission, radio frequencies for which cellular carriers have paid billions of dollars for exclusive licenses.
YMax Corp., which is based in Palm Beach, Fla., said this week at the International Consumers Electronics Show that it plans to start selling the device in about four months for $40, the same price as the original magicJack. As before, it will provide free calls to the U.S. and Canada for one year.
The device is, in essence, a very small cellular tower for the home.
The size of a deck of cards, it plugs into a PC, which needs a broadband Internet connection. The device then detects when a compatible cell phone comes within 8 feet, and places a call to it. The user enters a short code on the phone. The phone is then linked to the magicJack, and as long as it's within range (YMax said it will cover a 3,000-square-foot home) magicJack routes the call itself, over the Internet, rather than going through the carrier's cellular tower. No minutes are subtracted from the user's account with the carrier. Any extra fees for international calls are subtracted from the user's account with magicJack, not the carrier.
Jan 10, 2010 | 4:33 pm
#157
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Programs: BA, AA, DL, KLM, UA
Posts: 37,489
Since it looks like it'll be roaming on the Magicjack, I suspect calls to the original number will all go to voicemail. Of course, Magicjack could also have smart voicemail set up on the service. Nobody has actually seen the new product in action, so time will tell how it works...
Jan 10, 2010 | 4:48 pm
#158
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,676
Since it looks like it'll be roaming on the Magicjack, I suspect calls to the original number will all go to voicemail. Of course, Magicjack could also have smart voicemail set up on the service. Nobody has actually seen the new product in action, so time will tell how it works...
Now, this would be a real interesting integration with Google Voice. It would also be interesting if Magicjack can get licensed as an MVNO on one of the networks.
Jan 10, 2010 | 5:35 pm
#159
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newport Beach, California, USA
Posts: 36,062
It wouldn't be fun using it outside the US with my ATT SIM in it. Am I roaming on Magijack or Megafon? It sounds like it would be easy to make a huge mistake.
Now, this would be a real interesting integration with Google Voice. It would also be interesting if Magicjack can get licensed as an MVNO on one of the networks.
Now, this would be a real interesting integration with Google Voice. It would also be interesting if Magicjack can get licensed as an MVNO on one of the networks.
I love Magicjack -- I take one whenever I travel overseas, and also use one for my primary home phone service.
I have a femtocell from Verizon that I use at home because I live in a weak signal area. Unfortunately, the two femtocells cannot, obviously, co-exist.
Jan 11, 2010 | 7:13 am
#160
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,676
Jan 11, 2010 | 8:33 am
#161
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newport Beach, California, USA
Posts: 36,062
Jan 12, 2010 | 8:22 am
#162
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Menlo Park, CA, USA
Programs: UA 1MM 0P, AA, DL, *wood, Lifetime FPC Plat., IHG, HHD
Posts: 7,174
MVNO are basically mobile network resellers. Do a search on who the underlying providor is, if it is a verizon or att or sprint, great. If it is a t-mo or other, it might have coverage issues.
Jan 12, 2010 | 10:12 am
#163
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: CLT
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Platinum, Penalty Box 2K, PWP Posting Unit 9
Posts: 13,515
Since it looks like it'll be roaming on the Magicjack, I suspect calls to the original number will all go to voicemail. Of course, Magicjack could also have smart voicemail set up on the service. Nobody has actually seen the new product in action, so time will tell how it works...
It wouldn't be fun using it outside the US with my ATT SIM in it. Am I roaming on Magijack or Megafon? It sounds like it would be easy to make a huge mistake.
Now, this would be a real interesting integration with Google Voice. It would also be interesting if Magicjack can get licensed as an MVNO on one of the networks.
Now, this would be a real interesting integration with Google Voice. It would also be interesting if Magicjack can get licensed as an MVNO on one of the networks.
Of course, all that may change once these things hit the market but I imagine that MagicJack is not working with any carrier and is thus going to make quite a few of them unhappy, especially the big cry baby that is AT&T.
Jan 12, 2010 | 10:54 am
#164
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Department of Homeland Sincerity
Programs: WN Platinum, UA 1k, AA EP, Marriott Plat
Posts: 12,317
I'm mindful of the potential radiation exposure from using cellphones too much. If I'm going to be at a static location with broadband & Magic Jack in the first place, I might as well use a cordless phone with better speaker phone capabilities or a wired phone and avoid the radiation + battery drain on my cellphone.
Sounds kind of redundant to the magic jack itself.
Also, since a lot of people are migrating to smart phones, for internet access on the go, plus doing texting, I don't see this as that big of a threat to the phone companies.
Jan 12, 2010 | 11:15 am
#165
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: CLT
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Platinum, Penalty Box 2K, PWP Posting Unit 9
Posts: 13,515
Why would anyone use a cellphone rather than a USB phone or the softphone on the PC in this case?
I'm mindful of the potential radiation exposure from using cellphones too much. If I'm going to be at a static location with broadband & Magic Jack in the first place, I might as well use a cordless phone with better speaker phone capabilities or a wired phone and avoid the radiation + battery drain on my cellphone.
Sounds kind of redundant to the magic jack itself.
Also, since a lot of people are migrating to smart phones, for internet access on the go, plus doing texting, I don't see this as that big of a threat to the phone companies.
I'm mindful of the potential radiation exposure from using cellphones too much. If I'm going to be at a static location with broadband & Magic Jack in the first place, I might as well use a cordless phone with better speaker phone capabilities or a wired phone and avoid the radiation + battery drain on my cellphone.
Sounds kind of redundant to the magic jack itself.
Also, since a lot of people are migrating to smart phones, for internet access on the go, plus doing texting, I don't see this as that big of a threat to the phone companies.
I won't derail the thread with how silly cell phone radiation is in reality, but I will note that a lot of my contact and other pertinent information is on my Blackberry, and so it is useful to have it rather than have to pull information out of it and then use a softphone or other physical phone connected to the MagicJack. Call it a convenience factor, I guess.
