MagicJack company offers free calls

MagicJack company offers free calls

NEW YORK

The company behind the magicJack, the Internet phone gadget heavily advertised on television, has another trick up its sleeve: free phone calls from computers, smart phones and iPads.

The cost of phone calls routed over the Internet has been on a long slide. There already are a multitude of programs that allow free calling between computers, and some that allow free, but short, calls to regular phone numbers. Another alternative, Google Voice, provides “free” calls to the U.S. and Canada, but you need a phone to use it, and if you’re using a cell phone, it uses up minutes.

MagicTalk would go one better by eliminating fees for calling landline and cell phones in the U.S. and Canada, with no time limits on the calls.

The software will be available next week for Windows and Mac computers. Versions for the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android phones will follow in September or October, said Dan Borislow, the CEO of VocalTec Communications Ltd.

FDA OKs new type of contraceptive

WASHINGTON

Federal health officials on Friday approved a new type of morning-after contraceptive that works longer than the current leading drug on the market.

The pill ella from HRA Pharma reduces the chance of pregnancy up to five days after sex. Plan B, the most widely used emergency contraceptive pill, is effective only if women take it within three days of sex.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Friday as a prescription-only birth-control option. The ruling clears the way for U.S. sales of the drug, which already is approved in Europe.

Ella has drawn criticism from anti-abortion groups who argue the drug is closer to an abortion pill than an emergency contraception pill.

Associated Press