magicjack is a simple device to convert analog voice to ip. there is a voip system somewhere that houses the features. you can download free 'soft' phones that will work with your pc is you have an account set up with a feature server. i use CounterPath Corporation | X-Lite the price for the unit and 1st year service is very aggressive. i'm in telecommunications and my company offeres a voip solution for business. there are 2 fundimental issues with this. 1) it will only be as good as your internet connection. a voice call over ip uses about 80kbps. the internet is a 'best effort' network so voice packets are not priortized over other traffic. 2) the company has to manage and maintain the feature server along with the bandwidth connection to the internet. as more people buy it, they will have to add to it. if it gets unmanageable or they go bankrupt, service will stop. my personal opinion is that it will not remain $19.99/yr very long but even if they x4 the price to $80/year, it's probably cheaper than regular landline service. i would do a test call to 911. announce that it is not an emergancy and that you are just verifying the info on your number. make sure it works and is correct.