Ember is still under development, and doesn't currently have a public testnet. That said, Ember is handling transactions, and we are working on setting up a Developer Testnet. We aim to have one within a week or two.
For guides on how to compile Ember, please see https://github.com/EmberCrypto/Ember/tree/master/docs/Compilation.
Ember will not have an ICO, yet the community voted on whether or not there should be a premine. The community decided there should be a seven week premine (Ember doesn't have a max supply, and therefore the premine amount cannot be denominated via a percent). Two weeks will be released at the launch of the network, with one more week released every six months. This will allow a strong mainnet launch, guaranteeing Ember's success, and funding for three years.