Matt
Running Free
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join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
 ·North State Commun..
 ·Corporate Colocation
| Don't understand
I still don't understand what sets this apart from any other VoIP provider? Can someone explain the benefit and how the technology behind this device is any different than say, the Vonage USB adapter?
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amigo_boy
join:2005-07-22
Tempe, AZ
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| said by Matt  :I still don't understand what sets this apart from any other VoIP provider? Something unique to me is that you can buy one of these, take it overseas, and make free calls to the US and Canada. People in the US and Canada can call you for the same price they would if you were really at that local, US number.
If you had friends or family overseas, you could buy one of these, send it to them, and have free calls.
It's also free, unlimited calls after you pay $30 for a year. Do other VOIP services do that? I briefly looked at some others and I thought they were per-minute.
Mark |
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Matt
Running Free
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC | You can take any VoIP PAP overseas and make calls back home and people can call your US number. So that's not it. |
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dbmaven
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| reply to Matt
What really sets this apart from many (but probably not all) of the other VoIP services is that it's really tied in with a CLEC - YMAX Communications. This is the primary mechanism that can keep the costs to the consumer low, and still make the company a profit - the call termination fees paid by other providers for calls terminating at YMAX/magicJack.
As for 'tethering the service to a PC' - that's another part of the cost savings. The device itself is a TigerNet part, and has been around for a while. The cost is probably under $5 (purely a guess on my part) - whereas an external network device like other VoIP services use would cost significantly more.
I think the fact is that this service is NOT for everybody. I couldn't recommend it as a primary telephone service - simply for all of the downsides of being tied to a computer that has to be running 24/7. And with a primary platform of Windows - historically unreliable in consumer platforms - you're really asking for trouble.
As soon as a more local number becomes available that I can transfer to (my current MJ number is in Maryland, and I'm in New York), I'll be turning off a 2nd POTS line that I use for a home office and FAX - saving about $40/month. Basically, the ROI is covered in one month....
If you have a cell phone and use that as a primary service, the MJ is a good investment as a backup. If you've got a teenage daughter who talks incessantly, this is a no brainer. She gets her own number, won't eat up cell minutes, and can talk free as long as she wants - a win/win/win.
Also note that some folks are tying this in with other SIP/PAP devices so that it's not dependent on a computer - albeit with mixed success - see the threads in the VOIP Tech Chat forum...
Overall, I like the service, when I've needed to make calls it has been up and available, and the call quality is great (although I do recommend the TigerNet Echo Cancelling utility). If they continue to make improvements as promised, it will be a great service - and at $40, I could care less if they went under in 6 months....although I don't think they will because of the business model with YMAX. |
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