MagicJack, Anyone?

The previous presentation on VoIP and telecommunication services reminded me of this product called the MagicJack. It is similar to a USB flash disk device, but with a 4-pin telephone jack port at one end, where you can hook up any standard telephone handset. Just plug in the USB device into your PC with internet access, install the dialer program, and voila, you got yourself a US area code telephone number that allows you to call anybody in the US and Canada without having to pay on a per-minute metered basis. You can also call anyone in the world who also has the same MagicJack setup, as that person will also have a US area code number like you do. The MagicJack does not come free though, since it has an annual subscription of about 30 US dollars. The USB device comes free when you pay for the subscription fee. That’s less than PhP1,500.00 for one whole year of long distance calls. So aside from calling up your relatives in North America, you can actually call those 1-800 service hotline numbers in the US, or even vote for your favorite candidate on American Idol! How cool is that!