I started my MagicJack experience in 2008 and wrote a couple of posts :

1. MagicJack…does it work?
2. MAGICJACK : 12-MONTHS LATER…

It’s now been 2 years. Of course, the initial purchase only included a year’s worth of use, so after the 12 months were up I purchased the 5-year plan for $80. Have to say, I’m still impressed.

The device has been plugged into several PCs and laptops over the past 24 months. It’s run flawlessly on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. The one “bump in the road” was during the Windows 7 installation, for some reason the software that is built into the device didn’t automatically run, so I had to browse to it and run it manually.

Overall, call quality has been excellent, with one or two exceptions during high Internet traffic or PC utilization, but for what we paid and the amount of money we’ve saved, MagicJack is still and incredible purchase in my opinion. You do get the occasional echo or "robotic" sounding person on the other end, but it’s not been a big deal. Long distance and international calls have worked well. Note, that you have pay for international calls outside the US / Canada.

I’ve move house since my original purchase. Changing the contact information in the system was easy. It’s important to do this especially for your 911 settings. In my house, the MJ is now our primary phone line, hooked into a laptop with a 2-handset base station. I actually purchased a second that I carry with me to use on wifi connections on my laptop, though on some of the public networks in places like coffee shops, the way that the wireless connections are managed can mean dropped calls, so it’s not necessarily the best solution all the time, but it’s a good backup if the cellphone reception isn’t great.

For a product that I first saw on a TV ad, this one has really done what it promised. Just plug in and off it goes. Two years and going strong. It’s also now available in stores as well as the MagicJack website.

See you in a couple of years!

Some of these differences are due to the fact that there are differing standards for browser and web design behavior. Though there are a fundamental set of "rules" that everyone follows, the difference in "tweaks" can be very frustrating at times, but the ultimate result is worth it.

As a result of all this testing, I’ve come to develop a fondness for certain browsers. While Microsoft’s Internet Explorer used to dominate the browser market, others have begun to develop a following of their own. I thought I’d share some of my experiences with you.

The "Big 5" browsers are, considered by many, to be:

• Internet Explorer
• Firefox (Mozilla)
• Chrome (Google)
• Safari (Apple)
• Opera (Opera)

I used to be a big fan of Internet Explorer (IE) (www.microsoft.com/windows/Internet-explorer). However, as the version numbers went up so did the complexity of the browser. I’ve found that many "built in" features of Windows suffer from a tendency of trying be all things to all people and IE is no exception. In addition, the changes from one version to another have been very dramatic, both from a visual and usability standpoint. According to w3schools.com’s month-to-month "Web Statistics and Trends" report, Internet Explorer, with no less than three major versions out there, has seen its heyday (mid 2008) and it’s market share, though still significant at about 35% has dropped a lot. Whether this is due to security or usability concerns, who knows, but I’m betting that the numbers will dwindle even more as awareness of other browsers grows.

From a personal standpoint, my major complaint about IE has been the speed at which it loads and the continual having to unload or "switch off" various components. I also don’t like software that interacts with my operating system at a level that makes me feel as though it knows better than what’s good for me. Added to this have been security issues for years now. My use of IE has simply been reduced to testing. Yet, Microsoft does claim that IE is one of the "safest" browsers out there.

The lion’s share of the browser market belongs to Firefox (FF) by Mozilla (www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/firefox.html). In the Windows world, Firefox became a big rival to Internet Explorer in 2006. I believe that much of this was as a result of the whole legal drama that surrounded Microsoft’s including IE in Windows, along with what seemed to be one security issue after another. Firefox was there and took the lead.

I used FF for about a year as my primary browser until Google Chrome came along. I became increasingly frustrated with loading times that seemed to grow and grow, along with what seemed to me to be an incredible number of updates. Perhaps it was no more that IE, but the fact that the updates were installed when I loaded the browser, gave it the appearance of being perpetually updated. I always liked the "tabbed" browsing windows that Firefox, I believe, was first to adopt. Yet, over time, I feel as though the browser has suffered a little from the IE habit of trying to be too much. So, as with IE, I use it primarily for testing purposes.

Google Chrome (www.google.com/chrome) made it’s debut in 2008. It was heralded (by Google) as being a fresh browser, built from the "ground up". Early reviews were positive. It was certainly different, and took a little getting used to. Gone were many of the text menus that I’d gotten used to. It behaved differently too. One tab crashing didn’t wipe out the others. I also rather liked the way it tracked my browsing history.

Yet, there were some early problems. Some addins, such as Flash, were a little "iffy" and some sites refused to load in Chrome, telling me to use IE or FF instead. I’m glad to see that this has changed and, as Chrome’s use has grown over the past year, many of the early problems have been ironed out.

From a personal standpoint, Chrome is my current browser of choice. It’s fast. Very fast. Once you get used to piloting it, I’ve found it very reliable. It does what I expect it to do: allow me to browse the web. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Safari (www.apple.com/safari/) used to be the "Mac" browser. It still is, but the Windows version has been adopted by a growing segment of the browser marketplace. Safari is what Apple products tend to be: glossy, streamlined and functional. It’s a nice browser. It feels "clean" and "light". Many consider it to be the "fastest" browser out there.

My personal use of Safari has been for testing purposes, but I do like it and will continue keeping an eye on it as a potential alternative for Chrome should be need arise…

Finally, the last of the "big 5" is Opera (www.opera.com/). While this browser still has a relatively tiny percentage of users (about 3%), it’s growing. Like Safari, Opera feels "clean" and "light". It loads quickly and does a good job.

Opera is the only browser that has not crashed once since I’ve started using it. I like the way it "remembers" the last site I was on, and this, straight out of the box. There is little "fluff" with Opera, like Chrome and Safari. I personally believe that it’s popularity will grow as people become aware of it.

As the mobile platform usage grows, I expect both the mobile versions of the above browsers as well as new ones to make their presence felt. As a web designer, I do have to take mobile browsing into consideration. Most "airtime" costs when it comes to browsing, so sites need to load quickly and the amount of content needs to be "bare bones" to keep costs down. My mobile browsing testing has been limited to IE and some "emulators" from the mobile phone companies which allow me to do some limited testing. That said, Opera has a nice feature built into the desktop version which easily simulates a mobile browser. It was the original reason I downloaded Opera and, from a developers standpoint, I’m very glad I did.

As a designer, I also test my sites using Lynx (lynx.isc.org), which is a pure text browser. This allows me to see my sites in a mode that might be used by a visually impaired visitor as well as how search engines view the sites.

So, there you have it, the Dave Segrove opinion on the major browsers. To summarize, I think Internet Explorer and Firefox have become too "bulky" and slow to be practical. Chrome is where it’s at, right now, but Safari and Opera show a lot of promise. You can download and run all of these browsers on the same PC and try them for yourself. It always comes down to what you’re comfortable using, but it never hurts to try something new…or old again…

• MagicJack…Does it work? when I first got it.




• Magic Jack : Does it work? after six months.

So what’s the verdict?

I’m pleased to announce that it is GUILTY of working almost flawlessly!

But didn’t he say "almost"?

Yes, he did. The few "bumps" I’ve had have been more due to the PC or Internet that the device. For the past 12 months, I have used my MagicJack on two different laptops, one with XP and the other with Vista as well as three different desktops also with different Vista/XP combinations. Here’s a list of my findings:

• Regardless of the operating system, the "plug-and-play" feature seems to work just fine. When you plug the MagicJack for the first time, it self-installs the software and you’re up and running.




• Transferring the 911 location (very important) is a snap, just go the the MagicJack website, log in, and change your location. I do hasten to add that I’ve not had to use the 911 feature, so it’s not been tested in the field.




• Overall performance has been very good, for local and long distance. International calls are fine too. If you wish to make international calls, you do have to keep a balance on your account. Incoming international calls are not affected.




• Occasional "Max Headroom" like effects do happen, making the other person sound a little as though they’re trying to rap. This primarily happens when the Internet connection is being heavily used by other programs or the bandwidth is low.




• I’ve used MagicJack on wired and wireless computers with comparable results.




• On the current computer, the MagicJack has been running continually for about 2 months with only 1 reboot (required for service pack updates).




• The telephone number is tied to the MagicJack, not the computer, so if you plug the MagicJack into a new PC, the number transfers with it.




• The control panel on the screen is very simple to use. You can see outgoing and incoming call history, use it to dial or save numbers to your phone book.




• The voicemail is so-so. It’s usable, but not great, but it’s there if you need it.

I’ve heard mixed opinions about tech support and area code availability – two areas I’ve not had to experience problems in.

So, I’m certainly not saying it’s totally flawless, but on the whole I am delighted with my experience. For $50 you get a dedicated telephone number (plus you pick your own area code). Just add handset and Internet. I have just renewed my subscription for 5 years ($60).

For the price, the ease of use and quality is incredible value. Wherever you go, you take the same number with you. It’s perfect if you change locations like I do, or transfer from PC to laptop and back.

Personally, I am very hapy and will continue to use MagicJack and even get another…and no, I still don’t own stock in the company

You can learn more at www.magicjack.com.