Free calls on your smartphone!

New Magic Jack app allows you to call free on your smart phone!!

MagicJack has engineered another major shake up in the phone industry – free calls for iPads and iPod touch users. The app works by allowing users’ smartphones to access their Magic Jack phone number and make calls in wi-fi enabled hotels, restaurants, airports, etc. – so you do need to have a Magic Jack account set up. You can now make more calls with a less expensive plan – if you do so while sipping latte in Starbucks. A word of caution is in order however – make sure your plan allows for unlimited data usage, as the app relies on your phone’s data stream while you converse.

For those that have the requisite unlimited data usage and iPad or iPod, the app can be downloaded from the Apple iTunes store – even the app itself is free. This app can be an incredible values for those who have ditched their land lines and have been relying on their smart phone to make calls from home and while on the road. Simply eliminating your conventional home phone service may save you $500 – $800 per year, but if you have to buy more minutes to talk it sucks out some of the fun. On the other hand, if you can eliminate your home phone service without paying for any more cell phone time, the joy is back. If you can take advantage of wi-fi hotspots and reduce the number of minutes you burn still further, drop to a cheaper iPhone plan and chat with a smile on your face.

Can it be long before MagicJack launches apps for other smartphones? One can only hope; check back for the latest and greatest!

NOTE: on your Apple device, choose Apple’s “Settings” and set “Notifications” to “ON”. Then scroll down and set “magicJack” to “ON”. If you disable Apple notifications, you will not receive incoming calls.

One other note: You can not make calls to anywhere in the United States or Canada with your Magic Jack (or using your new smartphone app). Your Magic Jack account will not make outgoing calls to many free conference call sites, nor will it allow outgoing calls to many rural locations. In both cases, the  issue relates to high termination fees charged by rural telephone companies. Since it charges customers only a few dollars a month for phone service, Magic Jack simply doesn’t connect to those locations. There are workarounds available using Google Voice or Skype, however.