Just a few short years ago, had you mentioned the word iPod, very few people would've known what you were talking about. Now the technology is in tens of millions of homes and continuing to grow in popularity. Likewise, many feel we are witnessing a shift in the way we communicate and devices unfamiliar to people yesterday will be all the rage in no time. And the device getting all the attention is the video phone.

The video phone's functionality is made possible by something almost every home already has: the Internet. The high-speed connection we rely on to bring information to our computer screens can also carry our voices over the line. The technology is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP is the backbone of the latest breakthrough in telecommunications, digital phone service.

On its own, digital phone service sounds pretty appealing: unlimited calls, cheaper phone bills, great features and more. But combined with a video phone, digital phone service looks amazing. Video phones let users see one another rather than simply hearing each other's voice on the line. Though it may sound, or look, too good to be true, most analysts agree that video phones will be present in the majority of households in the very near future.

One company is already making strides in bringing this futuristic technology to our everyday lives. ACN, the world's largest direct selling telecommunications company, is also one of the world's largest distributor of video phones. The company got started ahead of the curve and is poised to be a pivotal player in the video phone market as these devices become more commonplace.

“Seeing the person you are talking to on the phone is no longer a technology of the future,” said Robert Stevanovski, Chairman and Co-founder of ACN. “The video phone is something consumers are taking advantage of right now and it has become an integral focus of our company over the past few years. We believe that video phones will become just as common in households as we have seen before with other recent technological advancements, such as high-speed internet, mobile phones and iPods.”

As evidence of their commitment to the success of video phones, ACN has built its own VoIP network across the U.S. and Europe to support its video phone and digital phone service.

The product has a “wow factor”, the initial impression the video phone makes on its user when they experience for the first time what it's like to see the person they're talking to. In addition, video phones are incredibly easy to use, therefore ensuring users will want to take one home and put it to use long after the excitement has worn off.

The digital phone service, on which the video phone operates, simply runs on your existing Internet connection. To set up a video phone, you simply plug it in to a power source and attach the Internet connection. It's just that simple. Video phones and digital phone service can be used to call any other type of phones whether traditional, mobile or video. And like a mobile phone, your video phone can accompany you anywhere there's an Internet connection, so if you have to travel across the country, your video phone can connect you back home to see the ones you love.

It's futuristic technology, only it's here now. And if ACN provides any indication of what the future holds for this exciting device, the sky's the limit. Digital video phones may just be the next wave of technology that truly changes the way we communicate.