Handy phone jack great for travel
Special to Washington Post
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What: A phone jack for your computer that lets you plug in a standard phone and make low-cost calls.
Aimed at: Travelers with laptops who want to make cheap calls from the road.
How much: $20 for the jack, plus $20 a year for service.
But does it work? Between pricey penalties for exceeding mobile phone minutes to absurd hotel telephone charges, calling from the road is pricey. Travelers with laptops and broadband can make Internet calls, but pay-per-minute rates add up.
MagicJack changes the game with a flat-rate price so low it looks like a misprint: $20 per year -- not per month, per year -- for unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada from anywhere in the world.
Getting started costs $40, which includes the first year of service and a small device that plugs into a USB port.
The phone service comes with a free local phone number, voicemail, call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling and free (commercial-supported) directory assistance. International calls are extra, though competitively priced.
Cons: Although the device is about as small as a pack of gum, it's thick enough to block a second USB port on some laptops.
MagicJack is available for Windows XP, Vista and Intel-based Macs at www.magicjacktv.com.
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