Who we are
At Yawarra Information Appliances we refuse to accept a world where it is normal for computers to be frustrating and unnecessarily complex. Our passion is to create computer-based appliances that are easy to use and require minimal interaction - in other words, behave like they are supposed to - invisibly. We also pride ourselves on providing consistently high quality customer service.
We are a small business located in the foothills of the Dandenongs, in Melbourne, Australia and have been operating since January 2005. We offer our range of small form factor, PC compatible hardware and accessories by mail order, and you can learn all about our products and place orders online at www.yawarra.com.au. If you have any queries, please contact us.
You might also like to read what some of our customers have said about us.
Our name
'Yawarra' is an Australian aboriginal word meaning 'to watch over and care for'. It's also the name of our local primary school.
We say it 'Yah' (as in yuck), 'worr' (as in warrant), 'ah' (as in hah), with the emphasis on 'worr'.
Clear as mud? Well we can't even agree on how it's said, but you can listen to our attempts at it, if you really have nothing better to do: Version 1 and Version 2.
'Information Appliances' is a term coined by Jef Raskin and promoted by Donald Norman, both advocates of interface design, to describe computers that do one thing only and do it well and invisibly. That's the sort of computers we want to sell.
What we do
Yawarra Information Appliances offers a range of hardware for embedded applications, and currently stock the ALIX range of computers from PC Engines in Switzerland, the net4801 and net5501 computers from Soekris Engineering in the USA, and the fit-PC2 series of products from CompuLab in Israel.
These small form factor, PC-compatible machines:
- are incredibly energy-efficient, using very little power
- are extremely reliable, durable and long lasting, because they have no moving parts and are built to a high standard
- are very small, using minimal materials and taking up very little space on your desk or server rack
- support most open-source operating systems including OpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, various Linux distributions and a number of proprietary operating systems
These features make the ALIX and net5501 ideal for use as firewalls, routers and in wireless networks, while the fit-PC2 computers are ideal for office desktops, internet cafes, classroom computers and home entertainment.
Please see our small form factor computers page or our catalogue for more information.
What we care about
People
As passionate as we are about technology, we care about people more. Whether it's our customers, our suppliers or our staff, we want everyone to enjoy interacting with us.
One of our stated business aims is to create a technology business that puts people first. We believe that by focusing on people, not only will we create better technology, but we'll also make the world a better place.
And we're proud to put our money where our mouth is, by providing better educational opportunities to a financially disadvantaged student through The Smith Family's Learning for Life program.
The environment
Since our business began, we've been doing what we can to minimise our impact on the planet.
Our 'green' activities include:
- using recyclable packaging, such as cardboard boxes and screwed-up paper, and asking the same of our suppliers
- recycling as much of our waste products as possible, including cardboard, paper, plastic, printer cartridges and food scraps
- minimising waste and inefficiencies within our business operations
- measuring and reducing our energy consumption, through the use of fluorescent light globes, timer switches and power-efficient appliances
- buying accredited 100% wind power from our electricity provider
- buying supplies locally where possible, both to support local businesses, and also to reduce transport costs
- minimising our car travel and airline flights
- donating to projects that do things to offset our remaining emissions, such as planting trees
We're also very proud of the fact that our computers use such a tiny amount of power to run - ranging from 3W to 15W for the ALIX, net5501 and fit-PC2 computers, compared to 60-100W for a typical desktop PC.
In the future, we're planning to:
- add more information about the power consumption of our products to the website
- recycle all of our waste products, including bubble wrap
- investigate computer recycling programs, both for ourselves and our customers