Magic Jack

Just to let everyone know - we have a Magic Jack for phone calls. Most people do not have the number, but if you are a friend or family member, feel free to email us and we would be happy to send it to you.

Here is a little information on exactly what a Magic Jack is - it is a device that plugs into a USB port on our computer and a regular phone plugs into the device. It gives us the ability to make and receive phone calls and gives us a U.S.-based phone number. At one point, I was under the impression that we could call the U.S. for free, but anyone calling us (except from another Magic Jack) would be charged for calling Norway. I was able to get info on this and have now found out that the only charge would be any normal long distance call charges for calling Houston (if you are charged long distance charges for U.S. calls by your phone company.)

For those that may be looking at this site to get information about moving overseas from the U.S., I can highly recommend this device. It is pretty cheap (only about $55 for the device and two years of service) and the call quality is pretty good. We have a high-speed internet connection in our apartment, and have had only a couple of dropped calls. Sound quality is fine, and there is little if any delay.

One issue is that the computer needs to be on to receive or make a call. We do have voicemail, but there seems to be a bit of a delay in being notified we have voicemail when one comes in when the computer is not on. Considering the time difference between here and the U.S., there are a lot of times when we have the computer off (while sleeping) when someone from the U.S. may call. When the computer is on, the phone rings as normal. If we are here, we will generally answer.

One other thing to be aware of - our phone number is a Houston number, but the Caller I.D. does not show our name. It shows the previous owner of the number.

Anyway, just a little post about our phone setup, and hope to hear from some of you soon!