Edit: There is a website called Mibbit that offers a very nice alternative to Espernet's Java client.... and it works pretty well on the iPhone, too. It's definitely the easiest way to logon for a quick chat from your phone:
http://mibbit.com
Esper.net
Don't bother with the channel because it won't autojoin you anyway. Just pick a nickname and hit "go".... you will see the new server tab appear at the top. Click there, and when it's finished logging on, type
/j #eic
This will make an eic channel tab along the top... click there and you're in.