So one of my best buddies sends me quick e-mail this morning saying he has order the magic jack gizmo that is attracting more and more attention in the press: Canada’s Globe has a write up on it.

You stick one end into the USB port of your computer and you plug a regular phone into the jack at the other end. Configure the software on the computer and away you go. Cost is $40 to buy and $20 a year for calls out to North America.

You can take your laptop on a trip and plug your phone into your laptop and call anywhere like you are calling at home.

I did a lot of business travel back in the early 2000s and let me tell you, this thing would have worth its weight in platinium. Reading the reviews on Amazon, customer experiences are a bit mixed: Some people think it’s the greatest thing and other people had a few problems making it work. But for forty bucks, how can you go wrong?

Updated: Promo offer on Magic Jack here. Try it for thirty days and if you don’t like it, send it back.

US $23.56 (10 Bids) Auction Ends: Friday Nov-21-2008 13:33:00 PST Bid on this Item   | Watch this Item

US $22.50 (4 Bids) Auction Ends: Friday Nov-21-2008 14:33:00 PST Bid on this Item   | Watch this Item