iiNet must be really proud parents right now. In addition to their recent win in court against Hollywood giants DFACT,
Australia’s number 2 DSL provider has relaunched the BOB brand with the ‘iiNet BoB’.
The BOB re-invention, which could do with a better name (so people won’t confuse it with the original) adopts a sleeker design profile with a full colour screen imbedded into the telephone handset, a feature lacking from the original BoB model.
BoB 2 (as we prefer to call it) is FetchTV compatible and comes with a built-in answering machine. Some reviewers were critical of the original BoB for it’s average phone reception quality and awful design. It’s hoped that the new BoB will put to bed some of those phone issues. The ADSL2+ modem was designed as all-in-one solution for non-IT folk like my grandmother. Even still, the phone would regularly de-register from its base and the modem was prone to crashing from time to time.
However, given its well-published problems, the original BoB was a huge success for iiNet, selling over 70,000 units in Australia and featuring in a notable TV and cinema advertising campaign.
The new improved BoB is due in April. Pricing, which is likely to include an array of different bundles, is yet to be finalised.
Have you ever owned a BoB unit? Share your stories below.