magicJack Plus Review

I'm really impressed with the magicJack Plus. It's easy to set up and sound quality is good.

My cable company charges about $400 per year for a phone line; that's with extras like call waiting, selective call blocking, and the like. And if you're using a cell phone, that seems like a lot for a line you may not use that much.

I plugged it into an old laptop running Windows XP. You just follow the prompts. You can select your area code and the first three digits of your number. Once you have set it up, you don't need to use a PC. You can use the USB adapter that's supplied, and just plug that into the AC wall outlet. But I plan to try out some add on software that sells for $20, whch gives you lots of features. The one I really wanted was selective call blocking. Of the three major devices of its type, the magicJack Plus seems to be the one that is really effective at blocking annoying calls, assuming you use the add on software.

Chances are, you can transfer your old number to the Magic Jack Plus, or get a new number. I liked getting a new number; it seems to be "clean" in that no unwanted calls were coming in. I think the cable company reuses old numbers, where magicJack is using new exchanges (the first three digits of the 7 digit number).

One interesting feature is taking your phone number with you. You can take your magicJack Plus with you, connect it to the Internet somewhere, and your phone works, with it's regular phone number. Pretty nifty.

If you use the device plugged into a PC, you will have a screen that shows things like incoming and outgoing phone calls. It makes a good log of your calls.

The cost of this is low enough that is makes a great extra line. If you like it, and I think you will, you can cancel your regular phone service and save significant money.

All in all, these seems like you are getting phone service for a reasonable price, where the cable company is just charging what they think they can get away with.