Is Magic Jack Plus Worth The Wait?
I can’t wait to get my hands on the new and improved Magic Jack, which is being called the Magic Jack Plus. I think that’s a lame name and would prefer something like Magic Jack 2. The VOIP device is supposed to be released any time now and in an interview at this years CES it was leaked that the device would be available in 90 days. That was back in January so I’ve got my fingers crossed that they were being honest. I am skeptical about this aggressive launch date however, since at yest years CES, VocalTec, announced another product that was supposed to be just months away from production. This device was dubbed the FemtoJack, but the idea never made it into the hand of consumers. There were rumors that some nasty lawsuits were brewing because it allowed you to use your cell phone in your house without having to use your cell minutes.
Why am I so excited about the Jack Jack-Plus? The first generation of the MJ was truly a game changer and sent waves through the telecom industry. It gave people another option to paying $30 month for home phone services from the gigantic phone companies. MJ sold over seven million devices because of an extremely low price point, $20 a year, and aggressive as seen on tv advertising. The Coffee Desk did a comprehensive review of the product a while back and can be found here.
There is no question that the original MJ had mega success but the USB device had some major problems that did hamper its growth and popularity. For starters, it had to be plugged into your computer, which had to be turned on to make or receive calls. Users saw varied degrees of quality based on the type of computer they were using and the speed of Internet they had access too.
The Magic Jack Plus has taken this issue totally out of the equation. The new version does not require you to plug it in directly to a computer. It has it’s own mini processor and onboard ram. All you have to do is plug into power and connect it to your high-speed Internet connection via a Cat5 cable and you’re ready to make unlimited free phone calls. The VOIP device is also able to receive a wifi connection or 4G signals.
Another problem users complained about was that Voice quality was poor. VocalTec claims that they have answered this problem by using wide band audio technology, which is often called HD Voice. Wideband audio employs a wider spectrum of audio, which potentially doubles the standard codecs from 8khz to 16khz. The company is also touting hardware echo control to get the highest voice quality possible.
The reason the Magic Jack became so popular was because of their unmatched price point. The device cost $40 upfront and you got one year of free phone calls. Yearly service after that was just $20 a year. The updated MJ is rumored to be just $10 more upfront 49.95 and to also include one year of free local and long distance calling. And yes, you can still have your own number.
One of the biggest issues with the Magic Jack was their less then stellar customer service. I only hope that as VocalTec has also reinvested in creating the Magic Jack Plus that they have also spent the time and energy required to creating top-notch customer support. Only time will tell. Expect a full review of the Magic Jack Plus whenever it ships; let’s just hope it actually does.
I’ve been using the ‘conventional’ magicJack for about 4 years now, and purchased a magicJack Plus to evaluate as well. The Plus is nice, but I like being able to use MagicFeatures, a little piece of software that works with your magicJack – but the magicJack has to be plugged into a computer to use it. You may be wondering why I’d hassle with having to have a computer operating, so here are a few benefits to having it set up that way:
– You’re able to block individual phone numbers, or any anonymous callers, or callers from any toll free number (or let all callers through)
– You can effectively hang out a “Do Not Disturb” sign, and block all calls, or block all calls while letting through only those callers you’ve put on a “Priority Caller” list
– You also have the convenience of speed dial numbers for frequently called numbers, and are able to call locally by dialing only 7 digits
– Call waiting and call forwarding are easily handled through your phone, rather than having to log into your account to turn the features on or off
There are other features, but you get the idea. Just be sure to plug the magicJack into a small, low power computer.
It’s been beautiful!
I am using SBG900 with majicjack plus and even after trying unblocking all ports/ remove firewall I could not configure it to call/receive. Anybody has steps to configure this with SBG900.
BUYER BEWARE:
I just talked with the customer service of Magic Jack.
We have a prepaid 5 year plan with our current program.
There is no provision AT ALL for giving the current customers credit for the difference if they upgrade to the Magic Jack Plus plan. They simply play to CHEAT you out of the remaining amount of your prepaid program. There is supposedly an advertisement that shows on “selected customers” magic jack keypad, but conveniently it is not showing on mine, and I seriously doubt it is showing anywhere. I would think twice about getting into any of long term programs with this company. They clearly can not be trusted.
We’ve been a customer of MJ for 2 yrs now.it works greatly for us coz it’s cheaper to buy and send to our family from another country with a US number than using international calls.I has some glitches but it is better than nothing.
I have read about the MJP and so happy to see that there was one that can be plugged to the electric outlet,and there’s no need for a computer.Does this mean that even if you don’t have internet access you will be able to use MJP plug-in version?This would be a good news if it’s true.
OOMA looks like the best alternative to Magic Jack.
It cost about $200 but gets nothing but rave reviews on Amazon.
MAGIC JACK HAS BEEN A BLESSING TO MANY AND A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR MOST, IT SEEMS THE MOST IMPORTANT CALLS COME THROUGH ONLY WHEN THE COMPUTER IS EITHER OFF, REBOOTING OR ANY NUMBER OF INCONGRUOUS MATTERS OF SITUATIONAL HAPPENSTANCE. IT DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO SEND OR RECEIVE FAXES, THE COMPUTER MUST REMAIN ON AT ALL TIMES, A PROBLEM THAT CAN CAUSE LATENT REMORSE FOR DOMESTIC COMPUTERS NOT ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE OVERLOAD THAT COMMERCIAL COMPUTERS CAN.
THE MAGIC JACK PLUS DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO RETAIN YOUR SAME NUMBER, INSTEAD, YOU ARE FORCED INTO A NEW NUMBER WITH A YEAR’S SERVICE, THEY LEAVE OUT THE PART ABOUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE SWINDLED INTO ACQUIRING THE FIVE (5) YEAR ADDITIONAL SERVICE OFFERED NOT TOO LONG AGO. IN MY OPINION, THEY ALWAYS PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE; THEY OFFER THEIR DREAMS FOR SALE KNOWING THEY HAVE NOT YET MANIFESTED OR CONSUMMATED; ONCE THE CUSTOMER IS DUPED INTO PURCHASING THEY THEN GO ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF MASS PRODUCING THE ITEM HOPING FOR THE BEST GETTING THE MEDIOCRE AND OFFERING THE WORST. THAT SHOULD JUST ABOUT WRAP IT UP. I STILL HAVE FOUR (4) YEARS LEFT ON THE ALMOST BIGGEST PIECE OF $$@# I EVER HAD, EXCEPT FOR MY EX-WIFE. SHE TOPS THEM ALL. NEVERTHELESS, GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU.
I just ordered mine to test it out. However, I have relatives overseas who have been using the regular Magic Jack for 2 years, can they purchase just the adapter? Does anybody know how would it work for them to obtain MJ Plus but keeping their same number??
i have the original magic jack i cant seem to ind if there is an update option to get the plus, i want to keep my current magic jack number because i have a lot of contacts, as well as keep my remaining time that i purchased for it. is there a way to do this i cant find anything in the faq. thanks for any help.
good news, but i’ve been using the Nettalk for about a year and it works great. my only beef with them is their voicemail stinks.
Can my current number be ported to the MJ plus??
You can now purchase Magic Jack Plus via phone at the automated service free for 1 month 800-509-1709
You will love the new MJP they have worked out the bugs
I live in Canada and both the nettalk duo and magicjack plus have my area code available. What id like to know is how much is the initial cost and subsequent years to have mjp in Canada. With duo it is a $79.99 upfront (includes first year) then $39.99 for every year after that. Also what features am i missing out on if i take either of them?
09/07/2011. I ordered the plus via phone 800 697-4216 on 09/01. Received it yesterday 09/06. Great for a Holiday weekend. Worked good as far as voice quality. Had an issue when using it as fax outbound. Need to verify this.
Nettalk Duo does not have WV numbers…Magic Jack Plus is due to be released Sept. 6th. If it goes as planned..
Oh ya… I just looked at their website again (Magicjack.com) in their FAQ’s and it seems that you CANNOT use Magicjack with DirecTv’s Wildblue Satellite Internet! Which SUCKS! I live out here in the boonies and the only available internet is slllooooowwwwwwwww dial up or Satellite Internet! Oh well… guess I won’t buy Magicjack Plus if it won’t work. If anyone knows if the Magicjack Plus will work with Satellite Internet please email me at LaurieAWhaley@aol.com. Thanks.
Hi All,
I contacted MG Customer Service by Chat and inquired about MG Plus & that person told me MG Plus was available but, could only order it by phone, which she gave me an 800 #. I called it and it did not give me an option for MG Plus. I contacted Chat again & she assured me that it would give me an option at the end, after I gave my name, address, tele no. & CREDIT CARD INFO!, to specify which I wanted orig. or Plus. So, again I called 800 # gave all my info. for “1″ MG. NEVER gave me an option to order PLUS!!! I immediately got on comp with CHAT and they told me I had to wait a few hrs so I’d get a confirmation email with my order # before they could do anything. Got that, chatted back today and was told my order was for ORIG MG NOT Plus! In fact, they had me down for 2 ORIG MG’s when I only ordered 1! Then if that wasn’t bad enough they told me the PLUS wasn’t available to purchase yet! I was like WTF!? Then why did Chat tell me it was available? I know!! Lemme answer that! TO GET ME TO PLACE AN ORDER! PERIOD! I had them cancel my order so I can wait for PLUS. I also noticed on my pending status payments on my bank account it had a telephone no. for MG. I called it and it gave me another no. for billing inquiries (1-281-404-1551). I am waiting for them to answer. I am supposedly caller no 4, now caller no 3 with no less than 2 minutes wait time. We shall see! So far their customer service SUCKS! They don’t seem to know what they’re talking about. It seems to me they should know wether or not PLUS is or isn’t available for purchase yet!! BTW: STILL WAITING for them to answer my call…. If cust service hadn’t done me that way I probably would’ve at least ordered one ORIG MG just to be saving $$ until Plus becomes available but, they LIED to me. It’s either they lied or don’t know their butt from a hole in the ground! Either way I didn’t get what I thought I was going to be able to order. WhooHoo! I’m first in line to be answered! I’m not holding my breath! Okay, here’s the scoop! 25 minutes on hold and still NOTHING! They CANNOT tell me when PLUS will be available. I will buy MG Plus when it becomes available but, they really do need to improve on Customer Service badly! I want to save $ like the next person but, I hate being lied to just so I will place an order. I would rather spend my $ on the NEW Magicjack Plus. As of now they said it will cost $69.95 for Plus as opposed to the $29.95 for Orig MG and Plus yrly will be $29.95 as opposed to $19.95 for MG Orig. So, I will wait… and wait… and wait. Hopefully it’s worth the WAIT………………….
Magic jack YMAX Co I promote no one my posting is based on my real experience , your tech could not even identify phone number ,
Hello , I paid for 2 devices magicjack I1 was plugged in and used the other as back up , well they both stopped working the same day , with a balance of over 500 minutes?? talk to one tech support , knew about as much as me was transfered to another one , then another one then another one each asking the very same question every time , tried it several days, todfay soend over 3 hours on the chat only to be asked to pay again , Icontacted the CEO, does help to know how to navigate the Emails maze , send a polite question got a professional reply from a Personn named Randy , never to be heard again,Ihave a burning desire to post the CEO email adress for everyone to reach but I promise It would be confidential so that port will not be posted , to all of you considering buying magic jack keep in mind how would you feel if you pull in the gas station , you are charged for a full tank but are givenm only1/2 tank , it is exactely my experience . no more no less .
Now you select your service the way you want.
Well good news u all….majic jack plus is out, it’s just not sold in stores yet. No one has been putting dates on there comments, so I don’tknow when they were written.
Hello there again. I’ve been searching in forums, just looking for magicjack alternatives while waiting for the release and I found something.
Have you ever heard of Obitalk? this device works with most VoIP SIP companies. including Google voice.
I got really good reviews in amazon
so, a person just buy the device, signs up in obitalk website and sets ups his or her google voice account and will be able to make and receive free calls within US and Canada. No monthly or year fees. it’s only a one time purchase. what people comment is that it is not clear if google voice will remain free in 2012. I would like to know your opinion on this.
Thanks
Ivan
yeah that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll wait, I just hope it wont take long. I have thought about the Duo (nettalk) but is way more expensive. I rather wait for MG Plus.
Hey Ivan,
I would not renew if I were you. I remain hopeful that the new MagicJack Plus will be arriving shortly.
On the flip side it could be a bit of gamble since they totally trashed the femtojack idea.
I have been waiting also for the magicjack plus device. I keep checking google news looking for info about the release date but no luck.(that’s how I got here in first place) I have the magicjack and my year has expired. but I think it is a waste of money to renew it since I will buy the new hardware version.