magicJack plus - a new magicJack
magicJack has something big planned for this evening: they're unveiling a new magicJack - magicJack plus - for $50. You get a year worth of phone service and don't have to connect the new magicJack to a computer.
Will magicJack plus work? That depends.
The good of magicJack
magicJack's a cheap service: $20 for a year with the original magicJack and $50 a year for the magicJack plus ($20 a year after that). magicJack's also pretty reliable, if you have really quick Internet (check your Internet speed) and are tech-savvy.
The new magicJack plus should be better than the current magicJack, since you don't have to connect the magicJack to a computer anymore. That's a cost savings right there and much more convenient.
Also, magicJack claims to have improved some of their call quality issues with some upgrades (we're not sure what was upgraded - they didn't say).
The bad of magicJack
magicJack sells its service for cheap, which is one of the reasons it's so popular. However, one of the ways that magicJack holds down the costs is by making it difficult to contact support - there's no 800 number, just email/chat support which - unfortunately - is not the most responsive.
Furthermore, magicJack shows you an advertisement every time you make a call. We'll see if this practice is translated to the magicJack plus (I'm not sure how magicJack would make you listen to an ad since the new magicJack doesn't connect to a computer).
But if magicJack plus works without ads, it could be a great bargain.
If you're not sure about magicJack...
Check out some of our other residential VoIP providers. Each has good user review, cheap service, and full-time support staff.