Free Calls with MagicJack: Turn iPad into a Phone

Free Calls With MagicJack is a free app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch that lets you make free calls to U.S. or Canadian phone numbers. You can also call phone numbers when you're using 3G networks, but placing calls over a free Wi-Fi network at a hotel, airport or cafe ensures you don't have to pay anything. An incoming number is an option.

I'm writing this app review from my hotel room in Wellington, New Zealand. I'm here visiting Weta Digital, the renowned visual effects company responsible for the "movie magic" in flicks such as Avatar, The Lord of the Rings and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Along the way I've found some magic of my own: an app that lets you place a call to anywhere in the U.S. or Canada -- for free -- even from Down Under.

After all, calling home to speak with my wife and kids would cost a pretty penny if I did it from a hotel phone or my smartphone.

Aptly called Free Calls With MagicJack, this free app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices lets you make free calls to U.S. or Canadian phone numbers. It worked like a charm in Toronto to call elsewhere in North America, but I wanted to see if it could be used to call the U.S. and Canada from overseas, as the app description promises.

I took advantage of my hotel's free Wi-Fi and dialed my home phone, as well as my wife's mobile phone. Not only did it work, but the call quality was quite decent. On the iPad, I tried the tablet's built-in microphone and speaker, as well as an iPhone headphone cable for more discreet conversations.

You can also call phone numbers when you're using 3G networks, but placing calls over a free Wi-Fi network at a hotel, airport or cafe ensures you don't have to pay anything.

While the Skype app has the added benefit of video, you can't call a landline or mobile phone unless you want to pay to "Skype Out" for a few cents a minute. And unlike NetTalk, a similar iOS app that can turn your iPad into a free phone, MagicJack also gives you the option for an incoming number as well.

You can make outgoing calls once you download the app and you need not register or anything -- just dial and talk. Your free MagicJack phone number can be used to receive free calls and free voice mail, too. You get a funky-looking number that starts and ends with an asterisk (such as *01234567*), which requires someone to first call a 305 number to reach you (which is also free over Wi-Fi).

The MagicJack app also can import your iPhone's contacts, so you can dial by name. Free Calls with MagicJack is ideal for turning your iPad into a free phone that lets you call and receive calls.

A new download at the iTunes App Store can help you turn your mediocre footage into a slickly produced movie -- complete with transitions, special effects and music.

Unlike most video-editing apps, such as Apple's iMovie, Vidify doesn't require you to do any of the work. After you've shot footage on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, simply launch Vidify, tap the clips you want included in your short movie, select some music (included with the app or from your own library) and tap the "Vidify It!" response.

Now you'll see your edited video, as if it were created by a professional. It takes about 15 seconds to make a 45-second video at medium resolution and without any effects.

For a 90-second video, rendered in high quality and with a few effects (transitions and filters), the video took close to 15 minutes to create on an iPad 2. Along with video length, you can also select the edit speed, whether you want cross-dissolves, fade-ins and fade-outs and other options. This automated video app might remind seasoned PC users of similar software called Muvee.

Once you preview your video, you can choose to e-mail it, upload it to YouTube, post it to Facebook or stream it via AirPlay to Apple TV. There's also a community tab with Vidify that lets you see videos created by other users of the app.

Naturally, Vidify is for those who don't have the time or skills to create their own movies. There are trade-offs, though, such as a 90-second movie limit and no choice on the order or repetition of clips. Plus, before I could use the app I was asked to go to the iPad's settings and enable Vidify under the location services tab, for some reason.

But, overall, those intimidated by the thought of editing video clips will likely find this tool a handy one. And, hey, it's only $2 to boot. To see Vidify in action, check out the videos at vidifyapp.com.

Posted: 2012-01-18 @ 12:49pm PT

Hey, Marc - Thanks for taking the time to have a look at Vidify and write up this review. Any press for Vidify is much appreciate as we here at Nice Labs feel we've created a great tool(one we use ourselves and thoroughly enjoy).

A couple of notes - The only limit on the length of the movies is the length of the chosen song. If you pick a 10 minute song from your ipod library Vidify will let you make up to a ten minute video! Also, as to the location services - this has nothing to do with us - this is an Apple stipulation that every app that tries to access the camera roll has location services turned on. There is no exchange of any personal info or anything like that :)

Feel free to contact us anytime for more information about Vidify.

All the best,

The Vidify Team