MagicJack is a cheap telephone service solution.

Nowadays, when it comes to choosing a phone service to make or receive a call, their are so many options available that they can be overwhelming. Mobile phone have so much exploded that now more people own a mobile device than land based one. And with the never ending flood of the so called smart phones hitting the market almost on a daily base, a legitimate question can be raised about the future of land based telephone service. But there is a good news on that front thanks to Internet based telephone service. The technology has been around for a while now and the interesting part is that in most cases, it combines an old technology which is the traditional land based telephone service with the Internet to offer lower rates for phone calls. One product offering Internet phone services for less is the MajicJack which combines a software in a device looking like a laptop mobile Internet card. It has two ends; one is just like a regular USB connector that plugs in a PC or laptop and the other end is a standard phone jack that plugs in a phone a phone. It is made by a small company called YMAX corp based in Florida and retails for about $40 and is available at various retail spots including drug stores.The software that comes with the device self installs itself on any computer it is plugged in and for the phone service to work, the device needs to stay plugged to a computer connected to the Internet at any given moment because the calls are made and received through the Internet.The first year of service is free and it costs $20 after that for unlimited domestic calls to or from the U.S., Canada and certain territories like Porto Rico and the U.S.Virgin Islands.And according to the Wall Street Journal, you can buy "low cost prepaid international minutes or if you travel overseas, take your majicJack with you to make free calls here to the U.S.The device is compatible with both PC and Mac and works either way with a wired handset or a cordless-phone.After signing with the service, you are assigned a new number by the company behind the technology which promises landlines number portability in the near future. As with all Internet based phone services, MajicJack users are required to register their addresses with 911 emergency system. The whole system is set to receive a makeover when the company release a new version without the traditional hardware as reports the Wall Street Journal. Also is planned a MajicJack mobile version that will turn a cellphone into a wireless Internet phone, still according to the Wall Street Journal.

For more, see WSJ.com