The company that makes the magicJack has made a name for itself with infomercials selling an inexpensive gadget that brings Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to the masses.
Now they’re releasing a device later this year that, for $40, will allow users to make free cell phone calls — as long as they don’t leave their home.
The device, announced at last week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is essentially a miniature cell phone tower, according to The Associated Press. It’s the size of a deck of cards and connects to broadband-enabled PCs via a USB port.
It works with cell phones using the GSM standard — which means AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States. (The AP report said most Verizon and Sprint Nextel devices are not compatible.)
Is free cell phone service too good to be true? Is it even legal?
YMax CEO Dan Borislow defends his company’s product, saying it’s legal because the radio frequency licenses that cellular carriers have paid billions of dollars for in exclusive contracts do not extend within the walls of a person’s home.
Time will tell whether the stunned cell phone companies — and the FCC — agree. And if consumers think shelling out $40 so their mobile phones can be chained to their home computers is a good investment.
