<p>Updated: 2012-12-11 05:44 By Simon Parry (HK Edition)enpproperty 2012-12-11 05:44:36.0Simon ParrySMS messaging loses its text appealSMS messaging loses its text appeal11022443HongKong Focus2@hk/enpproperty</p><p>Text messages sent on special occasions such as Christmas and Valentine's Day have fallen significantly in the past year, figures from Hong Kong's telecom authority OFCA show. All Photos Provided to China Daily</p><p>Twenty years after it was invented and a decade after it took off in Hong Kong, the popularity of text messaging is falling sharply - but the trend has left an indelible mark on language and the way we communicate, reports Simon Parry.</p><p>Until recently, it seemed everyone was at it. The ubiquitous "ping" of incoming text messages filled the air and in every office, bus and MTR carriage, people's faces hovered over their phones with concentrated smiles or frowns reflecting their speechless dialogue.</p><p><a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2012-12/11/content_16004369.htm">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://mobihealthnews.com/19440/text-messages-the-workhorse-of-mobile-health/">Text messages: The workhorse of mobile health?</a> (mobihealthnews)</p><p><a href="http://duluth.patch.com/articles/talk-text-or-tweet-whats-your-preference">Talk, Text or Tweet? What&#039;s Your Preference?</a> (Patch.com)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=d-Mud5xmuhpP6kMl_-gJdUtRUSnMM&ned=us">6 additional articles.</a></p>