Actually, just to add some confusion to this thread:) anyone with a little time and the proper hardware can spin up their own instance with out the worry of terms and conditions.
I use Asterisk and have a SIP provider that provides me an inbound telephone number for 2 - 3 bucks a month and my outbound calls in the US are sub $0.01 per minute. International calls can be had for 2 - 3 cents or possibly more depending on the region. The nice bit here is if you use a small number of minutes you might only refill your account every few months or possibly longer. Also, if you feel adventurous and or have the technical knowledge ahead of time you can enable features like Video calling (depending on the hardware and network available) and many more advanced pbx features. I use Grandstream phones which are very inexpensive and totally accessible to configure. It's not the clean turn key solution that a Magic Jack or Vonage provides but with a little leg work you can do interesting things with a Linux based server and some cheap IP phones. Hell with the right terminal adapter and a fair bit of luck you can even Fax using T.38 support.
Just my $.02----- Original Message ----- From: "Reginald George" <adapt@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <accesscomp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 11:57 AM Subject: [accesscomp] Re: Fw: Coming up on Main Menu for August 1, 2009
I've been using it for two years now. It isn't perfect, but a lot of people I know are using that as their only phone, or just for long distance. Theydo offer caller ID and enhanced 911 coverage. The phone companies hate them. They better update there terms and conditions.----- Original Message ----- From: "TheSunShineAlliance" <thesunshinealliance@xxxxxxxxx>To: <accesscomp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 1:42 PM Subject: [accesscomp] Re: Fw: Coming up on Main Menu for August 1, 2009 I'd be very careful promoting the Magic Jack because last night I saw aconsumer report on ABC which informed us that this product has been causing problems for subscribers. Apparently someone took the commercials seriouslywhen theystated that the Magic jack could replace their regular phone service for theminimal cost charged for a year's subscription. According to what was being reported this individual had been using the product to communicatewith family who live on the west coast and their service was terminated for excessive use. So it seems the Magic Jack isn't such a magic product afterall. Buyer beware. that's what I would say.----- Original Message ----- From: "Reginald George" <adapt@xxxxxxxxx>To: <accesscomp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 9:33 PM Subject: [accesscomp] Fw: Coming up on Main Menu for August 1, 2009Just tooting my own horn here a little since this is a first for me. Nextweek I may also appear demonstrating the Magic Jack telephone device. Reg On this week's edition of Main Menu: We begin with a short technology roundup. Next, Erin Edgar concludes her two-part series on Facebook. Finally, Reginald George demonstrates jango.com, a site where you can create your own radio station based on your music preferences. http://www.acbradio.org Main Menu first airs on Saturdays at 1:00 UTC; that's Fridays at 9:00 Eastern time in the U.S. The show repeats on Wednesdays at 1:00 UTC; that's Tuesdays at 9:00 Eastern time in the U.S.
