A quick observational post today from the Hong Kong metro. Not surprisingly, smartphones and tablets are universally used by HK residents in the metro these days. What I found surprising, however, is what they do with them while commuting. While I was expecting that most of them would browse the news, this was actually an activity I couldn't only seldomly observe. Instead, by far the number one application is texting in all forms and shapes. Next is playing offline games, followed by watching videos and making phone calls. Only few people were actually using it for web browsing or reading and ebooks. Quite a different usage from my own in public transportation. But then I am fortunate enough that my suburban trains are usually only two thirds full and I usually get a place to sit and open up the notebook for writing blog posts, emails, etc.