Last January 21, I, The Android Searcher, had the privilege of being invited to the monthly meeting of the Philippine Android Community or PHAC at The Coffee Beanery in EDSA Shangri-la Mall. PHAC meetings are scheduled every third Saturday of the month and I decided to attend their first one for 2012. I met the convenor, Ms. Charo Nuguid, last year in a coffee meeting with the Android Pub at a Starbucks branch in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Ms. Charo, other than being an avid Android user, is also an Android App Developer and has been to several crucial industry events featuring Android products. PHAC is her initiative, and the group has been meeting monthly for quite some time now. Joining them last month was a privilege.

The meeting started quite late since a lot of those who attended had come from their workplaces. Most had to put in overtime, thus the arrivals were later than scheduled. We completly understood, though, after all, work is a higher priority. We were treated to unlimited coffee and cake courtesy of a PHAC member. Most of those who came are Android App Developers and the conversations were really for techies. I didn't mind the geek talk, because I actually liked it. I had the impression that PHAC was a time for Android enthusiasts to update each other with the latest of Android technology. One even brought a test product of PLDT's TelPad made by Huawei while another one brought the Chinese-made Ainol Novo 7 Paladin which happens to be an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Tablet! This one comes at a very affordable price of less than P6,000 but it is not out yet for retail.

The PLDT TelPad, Live

If you expect PHAC to be a formal group of boring geeky people, you are blatantly wrong! The meeting had the flavor of random talks with friends or, in my case, random geek chit-chat with new friends. Folks I met from the Alcatel OneTouch Press Launch like Alexei Rivera and Ragde Falcis also arrived to heat up the conversation. Topics even reached my dreaded Android feature – the GPS.

A tidbit about GPS: more than something that must be dreaded, this GPS feature by Android is now being utilized by trucking and bus companies to track their buses passing by rebel-infested areas. Good to know that something awesome can actually come from a feature I (and even The Scribbler) dreaded!

There were just so many things an Android aficionado can learn from the PHAC meetings. The next scheduled one would be on Feb. 18 at the same venue so if you are an Android enthusiast, hop on along and join the club!

• the clothes to wear
• the restaurants to choose
• the food to eat.