In the comments of my previous post, Ravi Nayar writes:
To clarify on above, ACN’s IRIS 2000 Videophone supports calling any phone number in the world. What makes it special is that there is no long Distance charges to call USA, Canada & Puerto Rico. Furthermore later in 2008 when ACN launches the Videophone in Europe there will be no Long Distance Charges to call Videophones in Europe from North America.
The IRIS 2000 Videophone supports analog phone equipment. You can plug your current home phone into the IRIS 2000. This allows you to have extensions throughout your home to work.
The IRIS 2000 Videophone are made in South Korea.
So effectively the IRIS 2000 video phone is a standard VoIP phone with standard H.263 (i.e. previous generation) video, and not the revolutionary piece of equipment touted by ACN.
What’s not clear from Ravi’s comment is whether the IRIS 2000 supports calling other video phones that use the same protocols. Such capabilities would expose ACN to direct competition, but at least then the ACN would be slightly useful.
Finally, Ravi says that the lack of long distance charges are what makes the ACN video phone “special”. But it also happens to be what makes Skype-Out “special”, PennyTel “special”, Vonage “special”, etc etc.
You can find a reasonably complete list of VoIP providers reviewed at voipreview.org.
Note that ACN is not exactly near the top, and only ranks 3 stars despite obvious attempts by ACN marketers to skew the results.
Dan Thanks for a great Forum.
Agree that there are many good VoiP providers out there but Skype, PennyTel & Vonage do not offer Videophone that replaces your home phone.
I was very disappointed to see the Customer Service issues at voipreview.org. I too had issues and their Technical Support were able to resolve the dropped call issues. It was due to my Internet and the Modem update. It seems that Broadband Internet is better for Videophone then the DSL Internet provided by ACN.
Yesterday ACN announced that their IRIS 3000 Videophone will be released in July 2008. Preliminary info is available at http://www.getvideophone.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=131
It is still unclear if the IRIS 3000 will be able to call videophones from other providers. The big difference with this model is a bigger 7″ screen and Videomail capabilities. More details to follow in July.
How to regain legitimacy in a debate:
1. Compliment the other speaker (“Dan Thanks for a great Forum”)
2. Give a little ground but not too much (“I too had issues and their Technical Support were able to resolve the dropped call issues”)
3. Change the subject (“Yesterday ACN announced that their IRIS 3000 Videophone will be released in July 2008”).
Amazing. It’s like it came straight out of a textbook.
Is there a textbook on this stuff? If so I’d like to buy it. I’m pretty sure the Scientologists have tried to pull the same tricks on me before.
These guys are a much slicker operation than the Meegos mob (3hgroup). 3hgroup tried to anonymously discredit me or sway the argument using very ham-handed tactics like posting under multiple identities (but the same IP address – duh!), whereas ACN obviously know quite a bit about marketing and negotiation/game theory.
I’m probably out of my depth. We’ll see.
Wow dan. I was very interested in your post, until you attacked Ravi about how he responded to you. Oops… look I did it to. Compliment you on your post… wow, I must be trying to manipulate the argument. And then to throw Scientology into it? A bit intelectually off center, don’t you think?
I am interested in knowing if the Iris 3000 supports other protocals. In fact I found this forum because I was looking ot see if there was any way for me to use Skype video to call a video phone, and not just another Skype user. Any information would be helpful… thanks! (and lay off attacking others, just provide information, it gives you greater credibility… just look at our presidential race for guidance)
Hey Dan.
Interesting that you would respond in that way to Ravi and have to agree with matsonian about the manner/tone in which you required acknowledgement of/for yourself in a prescribed manner and yet could not return the favour.
Reeking with sarcasm and cynicism, why is it so hard to allow Ravi his freedom to be an entrepreneur (obviously) for his business?
And there is always a prescribed manner in which one does things in their work regardless of what type of work, employment, career that person has… wouldnt you agree?
Life is full of dialogue and prescribed ways so in all fairness – live and let live ..?
Thanks Matsonian & Ellie.
Dan, you maybe correct in your assessment of the Videophone not being revolutionary in the context of technology. However consider that it is revolutionary in that most homes with analog phones are able to cut their monthly cost and move to a digital phone which also allows them to see the person they are talking to.
Matsonian have you tried calling a IRIS 3000 videophone from Skype? I can provide you with my Videophone number if you want to try.
I do not have the specs for the IRIS 3000. I do have the user manual http://www.myacncanada.ca/documents/iris3000_userguide_en.pdf
Having tried several other video phone options available,
which none really worked very well, I was reluctant but
compelled to try the ACN Iris 3000 video phone. To my
surprise this video phone actually worked great! The video
quality and sound sync is dependent on a high speed internet
connection. But, if you are video calling another ACN video
phone and both parties have a 2MB or faster connection,
the quality is simply amazing!
Thanks for your insightful review of the ACN Iris 3000.
Todd Thompson
Thanks Ravi. We at ACN are trying very hard to win your business. I too had customer service issues that were quickly resolved. I dropped ACN’s broadband and went with Comcast. Problem solved! I ended up canceling my DirecTV package at the same time.
Unfortunately, we as sales reps are not given much in the way of technical specs. However, there is a group of reps trying to reverse engineer the phone to create an open source firmware. This firmware would allow connecting to other protocols. So far the process has been a little slow, but when they get it done, it will be a much more versatile piece of equipment.
Stay tuned!
I just received my ACN Video Phone and it’s simply amazing. I can now see my wee grand child growing up in Scotland.Simply The Best.
@Ravi – you don’t need to reverse-engineer it, since it’s made by a mish-mash of open protocols and open source software. Any “magic dust” they may have sprinkled on it is unlikely to be a key feature.
Consult open source SIP clients on the desktop from the Gnome and KDE projects for fully-fledged software that goes far beyond what the IRIS can do.
Cheers,
Dan
Dan,
Who is the manufacturer of the ACN Iris 3000? Do they have their own manufacturing facility? I have to beleive they farm it out.
I believe the manufacturer is WorldGate Communications, Inc. They released to the media that they have reached an agreement where ACN will buy more than $50 million worth of videophones over the next two years. Interesting stuff over at the Ojo corporate website.
ACN is selling obsolete technology to suckers that don’t mind making money off so ‘friends and family’.
my son recently got involved as a rep for ACN – is there any source of actual statistics about sales and profit and how much revenue comes from recruiting reps as opposed to residuals from product or service sales?
My spouse purchased ACN video phone from a cousin. Nothing but problems from the get go. It took weeks and many phone calls to customer service. Had to give them credit card info about 4 different times. Finally received the phone. Then a second one arrived. Refused to receive the second one and had FedEx return to sender. Now got a bill from ACN for the second (returned) phone that says we owe them for early termination plus the phone was damaged during return so we have to pay cost of phone. Big scam if you ask me! Planning on reporting to Connecticut Attorney General as fraudulent practices.
your wrong i have acn its around 38 $ per month and the the worst company i ever saw it ,every time i call my family the phone have error ,now i am using skype and i call us and canada for free and all that for 3 dollars per month,see the diffrence and i downloaded skype to my mobile and any place in the university of coffe shops that have free wirless internet ,also i can use it and call ,so i leave the choice to you.And i can pay 30 dollars for one year and i can get skype number such us number and people can call me ,and i forget to mention that skype can call conference with more than 5 people and acn not yet
For anyone interested, Donald Trump, is featuring ACN and The Videophone on his Show the Apprentice on March 22nd.
Just got off the phone with ACN and man do they really try to close the deal. Sales guy was VERY aggressive, so be careful people.
Read this and think about it !!!!!! IMHO these guys won’t last long. This is my documentation of my experience
May 19, 2009
ACN Executive Escalation Team
After dealing with your company for well over a month and experiencing what I consider to be the worst customer service I’ve ever received and substantial fraudulent misrepresentation of the facts, there is absolutely no way I want to continue and affiliation or arrangement with your company. Simple fact is that your company cannot provide the service committed to via your independent contracto and customer service, making any contractual obligation null and void.
Let’s start with the lack of professionalism in your customer service area. While I tried to communicate common sense and asked for explanation all I received is a “collection agency†mentality and no offer of resolution to the problems presented.
1) My first issue is with the agency relationship you have with your independent contractors. Your customer service premise is that “I’m screwed because everything is stated on the web siteâ€. Here is the first comedy. Your agent ( who has no fault in this) was directed to contact customer service to confirm the details of your international calling plan ( specifically Germany). On speaker, your customer service department stated that all calls to Germany would apply to the 300 minutes, regardless of number called. At no time was I directed by anyone to check a web site for disclosure, so how can the premise of your customer service department be valid. In fact your customer service department offered that “customer service and sales are two different areas†I asked “if it’s the same companyâ€? I did not receive an answer to that question.
2) In no way other than our trial and error ( with expense) did we find out that the information provided to us about initial set up and ongoing performance is adverse to some popular network environments. Your tech support told us after completing crashing our home office network that the Netgear routers are not compatible with your ACN system and we can have the continued enjoyment of discontinued conversations after 15 minutes.This has caused “down time†expense and total frustration. This product was presented as a plug and play and it is most certainly not. Is that disclosure on some web site we were not directed to as well?
3) Your customer service is so lacking in its facilitation of customer satisfaction or dispute resolution that it cannot be trusted. Let’s start with this e-mail received this morning, which caused me to call in this morning:
_____________________________________________________________
Your ACN account is currently past due in the amount of $84.14.
We have attempted to contact you regarding payment for your ACN Digital Phone Service. At this time, all of the services on your account have been temporarily suspended. To avoid having all of your services permanently disconnected, please update your credit card information by logging into your account at http://www.myacn.com.
Your prompt attention to this matter will ensure continued service. The ACN Customer Portal is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 day a year. Your portal username has been included in this email.
Please be advised that if your services are disconnected, you will be subject to third party collections for any balances due including, but not limited to, applicable Early Termination Fees and any unpaid equipment balances.
If needed, you can access information regarding how to read your bill by clicking here.
We appreciate your business and for being a part of the growing family of ACN customers.
ACN Account Management Group
___________________________________________________________
At no time did I receive any advanced notice of this problem and after checking the problems were not at this end. That is when I called customer service and received attitude and the “collection agency†mentality. Your customer service department could not even access the screen that would have allowed her to validate what I was communicating to her. The card on file was valid and open without restriction. Then I asked for information on the billing and that’s when your customer service department fell short and once again set aside the contractual obligations of your company.
I offered to pay the amount we committed to without paying the “oh by the way†outrageous $.31 per minute. That is when our philosophy of customer service collided ……I was told that what I gave her was not an adequate response or action. OK…..so it comes down to your company dismissing a customer with a legitimate argument or complaint.
Here is the part that should scare you the most…I was told after disclosing to her your inability to provide service and your misrepresentation that it was my problem “ because it was on the ACN web site†I don’t have the time or inclination to train your staff or agents on contractual obligations, misrepresentations or applied customer service. That is your problem and you have a substantial one. The service agent could not even grasp the concept that you could not honor your contractual obligations and your product and services were fraudulently represented.
Then I asked to be transferred to a supervisor, which was a complete waste of time, as the resulting conversation continued to demonstrate the lack of facilitation and execution that supervisory positions should have. I went over the entire process and comedy of errors and asked if she could provide me with resolution or at least execute within the terms of the service contract and of course the answer was “ pay the outstanding balance of $84.14. After consistent affirmations that the problems were inherent to your organization and no my fault, I was told that it was my problem and there was nothing she could do. I asked to have the contract terminated and the phone returned and that is when I was told to contact your department via fax. Of course, no direct contact is provided, as someone at ACN may have to be accountable.
At this point, I do not want to continue a relationship that was mis- represented form the onset. Tell me how to return the faulty equipment and how to terminate the contract that you are unable to service.
I want to end it here and now and if you want to take it to the next level with threats of fees, billings and collections over $40.00, I have no problem seeing you in a Hawaii court and telling my story to thousands of people that may want to avoid finding themselves in my position.
Just got in as a rep for ACN in Australia, I cant see what all the fuss is about. The Telstra monopoly has been running for years in Oz and most aussies complain about it and the lack of service it provides. I can only assume a company of this size(ACN) will have its ups and downs from time to time?
Hi Aussie Guy,
I don’t understand your argument. Are you saying a monopoly and a pyramid scheme are the same sort of thing? They’re not. And what does that have to do with them having ups and downs?
The case I made in these posts (and backed up by so many others in the comments) is that ACN is a company that profits from pure growth of members, not from providing a superior service and growing the number of customers. And also that ACN engages in deceptive marketing practices to sell potential recruits a false hope of building their fortune through the ACN program.
It has also become apparent that ACN has a terrible customer service mentality. Telstra has their problems, but they also provide the best mobile and broadband coverage in Australia, and have a huge R&D lab, provide thousands of actual paying jobs with a real wage, etc. Can ACN really say that?
Cheers,
Dan
I found a site that sells them!!!
and its around $30 a month. thats not bad at all.
https://shop.myacn.com/storefront/acn-us/acn-us-all-devices/cACN_US-cACN_US_ALL_DEVICES-p1.html?SMODE=1&repId=01860178
I hate ACN and everything they stand for. I hate my video phone even more. I am on my 3rd one and they continue to tell me it’s my high speed cables fault. I’ve had two techs come to my house to check my connections and speed and everything is perfect. The phone sucks, the contract is impossible to get out of and I hate the technical support people. I am angry that it has come to me actually posting online. I’ve been calling them trying to fix my problems for 4 montsh now and every call is on record. You would think after this many problems they would just let me go and waive the early termination fee. Hell no! They are not an honest or ethical company!
Anyone had a GOOD experience with ACN?
This is a horrible company.. It’s a joke.. There customer service is a horror.. i canceled my verizon line to go with them, i run a business out of a basement apartment apparently i have no cell phone service.. They stood me up without service for a whole week during labor day week which is one of the busiest time for me.. I have a meat company.. My loss was on the hundreds of dollars.
They told me they were short on techs due to the holiday.. buy yea they charge $40 bucks a month opposed to 29 advertised .
I’m disgusted with this company.. i want to make a you tube video smashing this crappy video phone with a sledge hammer.
Thats how much i feel about this horrific company and their services..
thank you BUT no thank you ACN BY THE WAY TODAY IS TUESDAY AFTER LABOR DAY AND STILL NO SERVICE….
Just some background on myself before i start,
I’m an afterhours technical support consultant for numerous customers around central western NSW australia, i see problems from all companies telstra, iinet, ozemail, westnet, etc….. the list is endless…. however the release of the IRIS 3000 Video phone in our area is giving me so much work its crasy,
Out of the box its supposed to work without to much problems, its a matter of plugging in the ethernet and power chord as per the instructions, however this is not the case…
a majority of calls require routers to have ports unblocked and forwarded that is not documented anywhere however after various calls to acn technical support on my clients behalf i still have un-rectified problems, if your an acn customer i have even had acn techs suggest other companies broadband connections in order to be able to cope with the amout of bandwidth that the iris 3000 requires,
– The IRIS 3000 requires a minimum of 256kb/s upload, even putting it down to 128kb/s upload on the phone,doesnt make a difference on a 256k upload connection, the video image is generally pixilated and the speech is delayed and unclear, it drops out randomly,
i also had similar issues on a 24mb download 1mb upload connection however the image was cleared on the recievers end, but speech was still impaired
all my experience from acn reps and customers that i deal with on a daily basis, is going towards ACN being close to a cult more then a company, i have heard reps giving other reps pep talks on why they should stay and from even just listening id hate to be on the other end, it sounded like a dog getting kicked in the nuts
and whats more the acn video phone is a glorified version of skype in a video phone,
before acn reps start replying to this post do you actually know what skype is and used it,
because 99% of the reps that i deal with have been brainwashed into thinking its the worst thing on the planet, yeah like msn it has its problems with viruses, but the possibility of a computing product such a phone with digital technology having viruses is also closer then you think,
from my experiences with acn i would never ever recommend anyone to ever purchase a product or service from acn, in australia their mobile and wireless broadband is also very sketchy,
I’ve used Skype and I have a 12 month subscription (I renewed 3months ago).
It is really great, if I have a mic…
Right now all I’m paying for is the privilege of having a permanent landline via skype-in which is diverted to my work landline.
When I’m out and about I’m usually on the laptop and that has a mic. My WinMo has skype however that only works via speakerphone (headset works, however I never have it with me).
Point is skype is awesome if you have the correct equipment, a computer (mic / speakers) and fast internet. If there was a device I could buy that only plugs into a Ethernet connection that didn’t cost $300, that would be great.
I haven’t played with the ACN video phone yet (I’m a rep, inactive, I’m a customer (mobile)) however people I know who are reps have no complaints. My guess is they have decent internet connections. I actually ended up here after I did a Google search for SIP settings.
Basically if you can get these you can use any VOIP soft client. At which point I still don’t think the $30 / month is good value considering calls to mobiles are per minute and not included, plus the $300 for that actual device… I have the $129 unlimited mobile plan (got to pay for 13/1300/1800 calls though) that includes 2GB data, so paying an extra $30 per month is a bit stupid (my situation only).
My experience with ACN customer service has always been great, however I think that is mostly attributed to the fact that I know more about what I want and the exact answer I want. I know where to look on the web site to get most of the info I need so when I call up I’m either verifying info or really specific with what I want from ACN customer support.
It’ll be interesting to see if Skype stays alive with the current ongoing legal dispute…
Hopefully sooner rather than later Google Voice will come to Australia and I can get on that as all I need is a single number for people to call that then calls any of my actual phones. That would be awesome 🙂
@Pixmyster: the only skitchy part of the acn mobile/3g broadband is the the skitchiness of the Optus network… If you wont to avoid ACN make sure you avoid Optus and all associated re-sellers and that leaves you with 2 options, Telstra & Vodafone/Three. Vodafones network is also patchy so that leaves you with Telstra, which gets you an awesome network you have to pay through the nose for at which point I’ll stick with Optus. Optus works where I need it to work and its a good price 🙂
Hi,
Just a quick point Dan, There is a huge difference between “Pyramid Selling” and network or relationship marketing. Pyramid selling is illegal, network marketing is not, ACN is NOT “pyramid selling”, so a little research may help you. I’ve been with ACN in Aust for a month, my video phone works fine, customer service is great and I’m starting to make a bit of money from it. (I’ve got my initial outlay back, Can’t ask for much more than than Mate!
Hi Wes,
Yes, I realise that “pyramid selling” and “network or relationship marketing” are different from a legal perspective, but you actually haven’t defined how they’re different. What are the differences that makes one legal and the other illegal?
And in terms of getting your initial outlay back, congratulations. I’ve started four actual real companies in the last year and got my initial outlay back on all of them within a couple of months – it only costs about $1500 in legal fees (less if you do it yourself) to start your own company. The advantage to me is that I am allowed to market my own product through channels that aren’t direct contacts, i.e. billboards, Google ads, etc. ACN will not let you do that, as far as I’m aware.
Regarding Pyramid vs MLM, various sites run by MLM fans can only come up with “motive and attitude” as a distinction – hardly a functional difference, let alone a “huge” one, and one that is far more dependent on the personalities involved than the system itself.
So yes, please do define the difference between pyramid selling and network marketing. Put our minds to rest!
Dan
Hello everyone,
@Dan.
The difference of network marketing and pyramid selling is as follows:
Network Marketing — also known as MLM (‘multi-level marketing’), relationship marketing and referral marketing, is the 21st century way for entrepreneurs to build a high income, without having to make huge financial investments. Most MLMs don’t need any premises beyond a computer desk and perhaps a filing cabinet (though some may need storage space for product). Unlike franchises (the business opportunities of the 20th century) in general the upfront investment is small and training is usually free or very cheap. Overheads are low or non-existent, profits can be very high indeed.
At first glance, MLM is very similar to the pyramid schemes which have been made illegal in most of the West. In the pyramid, a representative pays his initial stake when he is recruited and is then shown how to recruit other representatives. Every representative recruited brings a bonus and adds to the potential residual income. But, if no customers are required, sooner or later the whole structure will collapse, because there is nowhere for the income to come from. In pyramid schemes, the people at the top are the only ones who can make money, because there is a limited pool of potential recruits, and no other source of income. It’s pretty obvious that no company can survive for long without any customers.
In a pyramid scheme, your place in the matrix is fixed. You cannot overtake your sponsor. Even if they do nothing after recruiting you, they will still make more money than you.
In MLM, nobody makes any money until there is a sale: the company’s income derives from its customers, and so does the income of the company’s representatives.
-In a pyramid scheme, you are paid bonuses for recruiting other representatives, regardless of whether or not they achieve any sales or gain any customers. Because there is no income to the company, sooner or later this scheme will collapse.
FYI i am also an ACN rep. and customer and i have no complains. Like any other company when its searched on the internet you will find the good, the bad, and the stupid. Thats life.
Have a great day!
Ther you go Dan, Guadalupe sure gave you the facts. If ACN was a pyramid scheme or a scam or whatever you want to call it why are there a number of former attorney generals on their legal team? Why has Trump’s legal team and the legal teams of all the major providers such as Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, Direct TV, Dish TV, etc. allowed themselves to contract with this company? I don’t think they would risk it do you?
Seriously, if ACN are a wholly legitimate company, why would they need a number of former attorney generals? That makes them sound even more dodgy than they did before.
I never said what they’re doing is illegal. I said it’s immoral. There’s a difference. An immoral company is one that should be out of business, but isn’t because they hired a bunch of former attorneys general to protect them.
If everyone would simply do the research prior to the signing of the contract then they could choose to sign up or not to sign. If you sign up don’t blame anyone but yourself. Have some ownership in your choice to join the company. The bible says hard work leads to profit and mere talk leads to poverty. Is this considered mere talk?
Yes indeed, because I’m sure the contract says “we will turn your family against you”.
There is a distinction between “legal framework” and “operating practices”. What’s more it’s quite clear from my direct interaction with a salesperson that ACN exploits the naivete and aspirations of potential resellers.
Most people aren’t capable of understanding a complex legal agreement, let alone all the ramifications. Particularly people who haven’t been in business before.
Therefore it is incumbent upon ACN to operate ethically, or upon the government to stop them from doing business. This is why ACN was investigated by the Australian Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman for potential violations of the Trade Practices Act because they were behaving like a pyramid scheme.
Say what you like about the fact that ACN avoided conviction – they don’t investigate for nothing. As far as I can tell both customers and resellers have nothing but complaints, or at least apathy, towards ACN’s service.
hi there everyone i stumbled upon this by mistake but i would just like to point out to all dans opposition that when you are on here argueing with each other you are wasting your time. so let him play around with his judgements by himself and he will soon get fed up. remember the fact that any one with a computer can say what they want about who they want and have an audience with oppinions FOR OR AGAINST
You’re absolutely right. When people post opposing opinions on this blog it makes it fun for me – that’s part of the reason I post at all, to create discussion. And if they didn’t, I probably wouldn’t post more articles. They are, as one might say, “feeding the beast”.
However I wouldn’t characterise those posts as “wasting their time” just because I haven’t changed my own opinion. I mean, who cares if I did change my opinion? Who does it effect? Nobody.
No, I’m much more interested in what happens when someone else comes along from Google or elsewhere and reads what’s written and becomes enlightened. And for that, I have to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread.
Debates like this help to make the world a better place, I think – no matter what I believe.
This was one of the worst experiences I’ve had to deal with in business. I have cancelled my service and outrageous termination fees just to be rid of them. One of the phones was never activated. The numerous hours spent trying to get this system in place was exhausting. Then to have my service cut off twice for no reason along with my computer put me over the top. This was an expensive lesson that I will not do again. They even took possession of my phone number I have had for 27 years and now it’s gone thrown back into a pool without any notification that that would be done. I will take responsibility for not doing the homeowork and going on blind faith from a recommendation. The customer service department are robots reading scripts mostly. I don’t think they have their service orientation when they continue to take full advantage of their clients with ridiculous fees. I’m glad to be rid of them.
My Wife,thought she was going for a job interview,no matter she is chinese.i was waiting fore her outside,and was asked to come in and listen.Actually I dont mind hype if there is substance behind it ,the attitude.I love the idea you are what you think,and love people with a dream.However having been involved with net work marketing befoer and seeing how easy it was fore me to manipulate people with script and personality,which was fine while I bwelieved those people could win too!Problem I got paid fore those people I brought in,no one duplicated much ,and hype is often creaated by one cheque not consistant earnings.So peole blindly believe just like religion.ACN COULD CREATE WEALTH IS THERE IS BACK CUSTOMER SERVICE AND OF COURSE THE COMPANY COULD ALWAYS CHANGE ITS LUCURATIVE COMMISSION IF YOU GOT THERE,THERE IS AT LEAST AT THIS STAGE NO GAURANTEE YOU WOULD REMAIN THERE.(THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE THAT GET IN TO THE DREAM OF EARNING HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY,TELL OTHERS THEY ARE DOING SO ONLY TO HAVE THE ILLUSION OF WEALTH,AND NEVER REALLY ACHIEVING THIS,EXAMPLE OF THIS IS MEGA TREND)Another net work marketing scheam that to could not fail was USANA,IT DIED A SUDDEN DEATH, AND YET APPEARED TO HAVE A FORMULA TO CREATE WEALTH.
Who manufacturers the iris 3000? I read that is a company called UMEC in partnership with ACN. I do a search for UMEC and come up with a company in Taiwan called Universal Microelectronics, but the iris 3000 is nowhere to be found on the web site and why is ACN just saying our partner UMEC? and not the full name of the company, I find this deceptive too. No doubt it is most likely made in some hell hole conditions in China or Taiwan or South Korea. So once again we pay way too much for a product that was probably made for a buck and paid some poor soul barely enough to live on, so ACN reps can get “rich” F*%K free trade and all it stands for, why we do business with those communists I don’t know, we fought them for years and now we are firmly in bed with a Govt that could turn around tomorrow and do another Tiananmen Sq. massacre whenever they feel like it, if they decide this little free trade venture didn’t work for them..Keep on buying cheap outsourced goods made by slaves so we can all have a better life, good work people, convenience at the sake of your children’s future, oh what a selfish egocentric time we live in…
Sorry for bringing back the death. I just wanted to add what I think about this phone. First from a technical point of view this phone uses standard techniques: SIP and the H.264 video protocols, which are all open source as was already mentioned. SIP should be an open communication platform but ACN locks his users and charges for something that is not more expensive with other SIP provides that are open. It makes no sense to have SIP account with ACN when I can’t contact any other SIP users. Why should I do that? The technology is the same.. well I was able to log into the phone and throw out all ACN settings. This one post above about “reverse engineering” is a bit of joke. The phone works ok with a asterisk SIP server. Did not try it with sipgate,etc. though