Magic Jack is one of the newest players in the VoIP market - and has already created flutters all over, both for the right reasons as well as (a few) wrong reasons. However, this simple and easy-to-use PC based device for making phone calls over the internet has a great marketing strategy, a superb product design, and attractive schemes - all of which are skyrocketing its sales with each passing day. This article will simply give you a short rundown on the why's and the how-to's of this amazing product.

Magic Jack looks somewhat like a USB device and has to be plugged into one of the USB ports on your computer. It also has a standard RJ11 input to plug your telephone cable into, after which you can make phone calls with your home phone number (isn't that simply great?). The set-up and installation of the device is swift and simple - it has an inbuilt installer that boots up once plugged into a PC for the first time and installs the required software required for Magic Jack to run. This is practically the only step - after this, you are ready to make your free phone calls. The device requires a high-speed (preferably broadband) internet connection hence you have to ensure that you have a high quality cable or DSL connection.

Almost all the operating systems support the Magic Jack software - including XP, Mac, and even Windows Vista. However, a point to note here is that the Magic Jack software does not have an option for shutting down / un-installing it before unplugging it - or at least this was the case until some time ago. Now, however, there is an uninstall program available on the net that solves this problem.

The primary features behind the increasing popularity of this product include the fact that the connection itself is easy to obtain, and then it is a simple plug-n-play kind of device that is without hassles. This is barring the fact that its rates are extremely cheap, and thus attractive. Moreover, Magic Jack also provides free directory assistance, free call waiting, free voicemail and free caller ID to all of its customers - which is also a great selling point for a product in this section of the market.

However, before jumping into the fray without much thought, you should consider its features and product reviews and the underlying economics in greater detail. A good idea is to actually talk to people (which means more than one person) who have used Magic Jack and get their opinions and also their experiences with the product. This will give you a deeper insight into the actual ground realities that one faces while using the product.

This word of caution towards the end was issued in light of the customer complaints that arose within a few months of the products release - and the ensuing debate and controversy. However, in the end, it must be said that Magic Jack is a unique product that is a superb option if it really delivers the claims that it makes.