Companies love their options. No matter how they get those options out there onto the market, it's just the fact they have them that seems to matter most. A manufacturer may announce a new device in a single color, but these days we wouldn't be too far off the mark to just wait it out. To wait for a new color. Or, for different options entirely, depending on the manufacturer.

I've said it multiple times, that I'd like these companies to start announcing *all* of their new devices, new variants, and new whatever else at the same time, just to lay it all out there for potential customers. However, we're probably not going to see that happen anytime soon.

The only option we seem to have at this point is just to embrace it, and show a little bit of patience.

This time around, I'm not going to talk about color options. I think we've got that covered by now. (It still irritates me, though. Just look at LG's white G2, which launched recently for AT&T. Pure insanity!) In fact, I'm not going to say anything negative about a specific manufacturer, or more than one, based on the fact they like to surprise us with iterative devices that we probably would have liked to have seen at launch.

No, instead I'm going to tap into that patience a little bit, and I'm going to act like that type of action is okay. For our purposes today, we're going to pretend that we've just accepted it. Only because we have to, mind you.

There's no denying or hiding that Samsung is one of those companies that love their variants, and staggering their releases. But, as I said, we're just going to say it's okay for now. With that in mind, we're going to look at the future that could potentially come to fruition: a Galaxy Note 3 variant.

If you'll remember, long before Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Note 3, there was a rumor swirling around the internet that suggested Samsung was gearing up to launch at least four different versions of the Galaxy Note 3. Some of them would see LCD displays, rather than AMOLED; while others would get fewer gigabytes in the storage department, and lesser cameras. I didn't think that would be a terrible idea back then, just as long as Samsung announced them all at the same time.

But, just in case that rumor is true, what if Samsung did indeed have a new Galaxy Note 3-based device coming down the pipe? Just as we've seen with previous devices, like with the Galaxy S 4 most recently, it's certainly possible. Considering the Galaxy Note 3 just launched here in the States, we could see Samsung announce something in the next week or two, and none of us would be allowed to be surprised.

I'm not saying it's likely, considering the Galaxy Note 3 is usually a line-up of devices that Samsung leaves alone, but it's not necessarily impossible, either. With that in mind, I can't help but be curious about a Galaxy Note 3 Active.

If Samsung were to follow in the same process as they did with the Galaxy S 4 and the Galaxy S4 Active, there wouldn't be a lot of changes, but maybe there would be enough to get just a few more people interested in the new device.

With the Galaxy Note 3 Active, if it were real, we'd see the same processor (Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 800, clocked at 2.3GHz) under the hood, the same amount of memory, the same display size (not display type, though -- we'll get to that), and the same price point (at launch). The changes we'd see, because there would definitely be changes, is the more "rugged" and "life-proof" physical body construction, along with changes to the camera and the display type.

The last two changes would probably be the real "up-in-arms" alterations for customers. Switching from an AMOLED panel to an LCD may bring in some new folks; while moving down from a 13MP camera to an 8MP shooter may make some shy away from the new Active-branded device.

It could be worth finding out, though.

Samsung loves their variants, because they know that one phone can't make everyone happy. We just have to accept that they, like many other companies, won't always reveal everything they've got coming down the pipe at one time. That's why the Galaxy Note 3 Active isn't impossible.

And that's why I'm curious to find out if you'd be interested in a device like that. Would you jump on board with a Galaxy Note 3 Active, if you passed on the original? Would you consider it if it wasn't a carrier exclusive? Or do you think a Galaxy Note 3 Active would be a pointless device? Let me know!