Blue Book of Boats

For Canadian and US cruisers, the “Magic Jack” is a good way to save money on long distance phone calls. It’s been more than a year since I’ve heard of the “Magic Jack” and several of my friends are already using it. However, I did not have to phone long distance, so I just didn’t care.

Last week, I made a few long distance tech support calls (not unusual for big companies to keep you waiting on the phone) and was shocked to see my long distance phone bill. That’s it! I finally bought myself a “Magic Jack”, and can think of many occasions where I could save money when travelling. ‘Coz hotels charge exorbitant fees on long distance, some even charging a per-call fee on local calls.

With internet access and a laptop computer, you can enjoy unlimited telephone calls to anywhere in North America, or any country in the world. I have friends who are now using “Magic Jack” as their main phone line, since you can keep your main phone number for use with “Magic Jack”. I haven’t gone that far yet, but this is definitely an option.

So, what is “Magic Jack”. Simply it is a VOIP phone (Voice over IP) which allows you to make phone calls over the internet. There are reports that it sometimes can be unreliable, and this really depends on your internet. If you have a slow connection, chances are that the “Magic Jack” may not be an ideal set up for your primary phone line. If you travel a lot, simply take the “Magic Jack” with you along with your laptop, and as long as there is internet access, you can make your phone calls. If you do not want to carry a phone with you on your travel, then take a headset.