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magicJack is a threat to Skype, not Google Voice

Is Google Voice A Threat To Skype?
No, but interestingly, magicJack is a threat to Skype

 -- Counter point to Matt Hartley's article from a small business perspective.

Skype Review:

Skype suffers from a nasty interface and overpricing.
We have suffered numerous hardware issues with Skype over a 2 year period
    * too loud/not loud enough
    * no sound, incompatible sound cards, etc
$40 per year for Skype out includes a phone number.
    * That was a good price 2 years ago. Not now. See below.
Voice to email setup is cumbersome if not impossible to decipher.

magicJack
Included with a magicJack for $39.95:

1. A (Free) phone number from one of many metropolitan areas around the country that can receive free incoming calls from around the world.
2. A license to use the magicJack to call the US and Canada for FREE during your first year of use.
3. A USB optional extension cord.
4. Free local and long distance calling to US and Canada.
5. Free International calling to US/Canada numbers when traveling outside of the US.

Also:

1. Additional years of service are $19.95 (ck magicJack site for deals)
2. magicJack can be used with a standard phone or on your PC with a headset.
3. Voice quality surprisingly good.
4. Voice mail comes to you by email with Caller ID.
   * Attached in .WAV format
5. Proof of call to fight violators of your 'No Call' listing

Major Points:

• $20/year for a phone number with magicJack vs. $40 for Skype
• Voice mail is captured and sent by email
  
• Additional phone lines for Small Business are affordable
  

Conclusion:
We are evaluating Google Voice and may have analysis later. We suspect we'll end up using a combination of magicJack and Google Voice in the end.

We will be 'porting' our Skpe number to magicJack as soon as we can. Phone number portability is expected from magicJack later this year (2009).

Is Google Voice A Threat To Skype? ~ Web Developers.

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
by Matt Hartley

In a few instances, I have found myself questioning this very same thing. Clearly, Google Voice is pretty cool. However it is worth noting that it is hardly a standalone application. Basically, it’s voicemail with reverse call forwarding.

As a Skype user, I have found that I use this service much more. Why? Because it does not require me to provide another number to ring through to when someone wants to call me. It’s right there, running on my PC anytime I want to use it.

At the end of the day, I see Skype failing big time in the mobile space while continuing to grow on the desktop

. And I see the reverse happening with Google Voice.

Apple No Bargain as the 'Lone Mac Ranger'

Apples to apples
Of course every geek wants a Mac; but as a second PC.

Cmon,

• PC & Office student is still less expensive than a Mac with iLife
• Free anti-virus on a Mac? vs AVG Free or Comodo

Depending on your surrounding network of friends, family & work, tech life may be much smoother with a PC. If you are the lone ranger Mac user, good luck.

The Toybox | ZDNet.com

Apple: 'PC is no bargain when it doesn't do what you want'

Posted by Andrew Nusca
Categories: Apple, Computers, Consumerism
Tags: PC, Apple Inc., Desktops, Hardware, Andrew Nusca

Microsoft’s Laptop Hunters advertisements continue to provoke more spilled ink, this blog included. The latest such example is from BusinessWeek, in which writer Arik Hesseldahl outlines why an Apple machine definitely costs more than a PC but all things considered, really doesn’t.

You follow?

In the article, Hesseldahl asserts that “Yes, $699 beats the $2,800 you’d pay for a Mac with a 17-in. screen. But when it comes to PCs, there’s still a great deal more to buy.” He’s not talking about putting a price tag on design, either.

He explains this disconnect by outlining unspoken costs that come with PCs. For example, security: With a $699 PC, you need to pay for antivirus protection beyond the trial period, somewhere in the range of $50 per year. That’s at least $150 over three years, if not more. A four-digit Mac won’t need antivirus, Hesseldahl writes.

Then, service: WIth a $699 PC, a third-party vendor such as Best Buy’s Geek Squad will charge you $129 to diagnose an ailing PC. Apple’s Genius Bar? Free.

Same goes for software bundles: Apple’s iLife multimedia suite is simply more capable than whatever comes preloaded on a PC, he says, and applications such as Photoshop Elements and Garageband are costly to replicate on a PC.

The list goes on, citing Apple battery life, screen resolution, and overall consumer satisfaction. It’s a reasonable argument, though I wish there was a bit more detail — surely it costs a consumer to depend on a single vendor. Competition does drive down price, after all.

Still, the conclusion is clear: with a Mac, you get what you pay for. With a PC, same deal.

When Hesseldahl asked Apple directly, they had this to say: “A PC is no bargain when it doesn’t do what you want.”

Be careful what you wish for.