These are heady times for the smart phone market, with consumer buying plans at near record levels. Moreover, electronics spending in general shows signs of a pick up. But what impact are the new Apple iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre models having on the market?

A September 14-21 survey by ChangeWave Research provides an up-close look at the impact of the new Apple (APPL) and Palm (PALM) offerings, along with an update on Research In Motion (RIMM) and overall smart phone industry trends going forward.

By Paul Carton

After four months of little to no change, two recent ChangeWave consumer surveys show clear signs of improvement for the restaurant industry – with Olive Garden (DRI), Red Lobster (DRI), Chipotle (CMG), Maggiano’s (EAT) and Starbucks (SBUX) showing the most momentum.

There’s a rebound occurring in water project spending over the next 12 months – largely driven by the U.S. government’s economic stimulus program.

These are the results of a July ChangeWave survey of 101 respondents working for companies in the water industry.

Last quarter we saw corporate IT spending in the process of rapidly stabilizing. Our latest ChangeWave survey shows the rate of recovery is slower this quarter – but on the positive side, things are still continuing to improve and there are signs of a bigger uptick in store for 1st Half 2010.

The ChangeWave survey was conducted August 10-19, and 1,801 respondents involved with IT spending in their organization participated.

Co-written by Jean Crumrine

Enough time has passed for early buyers to have acclimated themselves to the Palm (PALM) Pre and the Apple (AAPL) iPhone 3GS, so in early August ChangeWave conducted a survey of new owners to see what they think – including which features they like best and dislike the most.

Co-written by Jean Crumrine

ChangeWave’s latest corporate software survey shows business purchasing continues to improve even as the pace of the recovery slows. Simply put, the uptick in spending for the next 90-days is not as pronounced as the rate of improvement we saw in April.

Recent ChangeWave consumer surveys have revealed a shift occurring away from traditional TV viewing towards new types of online services and entertainment – a trend with worrisome long term implications for traditional TV service providers.

But focusing on the short term, a recent ChangeWave survey of 2,922 U.S. and Canadian consumers identified winners and losers in the current market share battle among TV service providers.

Co-written by Mike Wrobel

There are signs of improvement within certain pockets of the restaurant industry but the pace of overall growth has slowed, according to two recent ChangeWave consumer surveys.

Jean Crumrine co-wrote this article

The mixed picture we reported back in June has worsened in ChangeWave’s July consumer spending survey. And for the first time in four months we’re seeing an actual pullback in the 90-day spending outlook going forward.

By Paul Carton

ChangeWave’s latest Corporate IT survey shows U.S. tech spending in the process of rapidly stabilizing – with a dramatically improved outlook for the 3rd quarter.

Jean Crumrine co-wrote this article

Overall smart phone ownership continues to rise, according to a June 9-15 survey by ChangeWave research, with 37% of respondents now reporting they own a smart phone.

Jean Crumrine co-wrote this article.

ChangeWave’s latest survey presents a mixed picture of the U.S. consumer. Overall spending is still rising in June, but far more shopping dollars are flowing towards the gas tank – leaving fewer dollars to spend on things like consumer electronics items and household repairs/improvements.

Andy Golub co-wrote this article

Ever since 2001, corporate spending on information technology has been considered a key leading indicator in our ChangeWave surveys.

Co-written by Jean Crumrine

ChangeWave’s latest corporate survey shows a stabilizing of the U. S. economy, with second quarter sales experiencing the biggest improvement in more than four years.

Co-written by Andy Golub

A couple of decades back it was the Baby Boomers driving new waves of consumer demand, but are they still at the forefront of today’s media and technology transformation?

Andy Golub co-wrote this article.

ChangeWave’s March survey of U.S. consumers points to a continued tough spending environment, with restaurants remaining one of the weakest spending areas. But in a hopeful sign, the rate of decline has leveled off compared to our previous survey.

Andy Golub co-wrote this article.

A recent ChangeWave survey of 2,830 respondents finds that price is now the key issue when consumers decide to switch TV service providers.

Jean Crumrine co-wrote this article

ChangeWave's latest consumer spending survey shows a worsening in U.S. consumer sentiment and expectations.

Jean Crumrine co-wrote this article

Jean Crumrine co-wrote this article.

The collapse in U.S. business spending we reported last quarter has extended right into the New Year – though ChangeWave’s latest corporate IT purchasing survey does show a slight leveling off in the rate of decline for 1st half 2009 and a glint of hope for the 2nd half.