After sifting through (usually) months of leaks and rumors, when a phone finally gets its time on stage, there's no doubt that the most important part of the whole event is the phone itself. Yes, we care about the features, the camera and the size of the battery, and everything else in between, but the design is what attracts a consumer from across the room to even look at the specs in the first place.

I'd like to say that for someone who loves the mobile industry, and loves to see new phones and see the new tech inside them, all of those things are all considered at all times. That, before any purchase at all, every detail of a new device is weighed against any current device that person might own. Is there a reason for the upgrade? Do you *need* to get that new device, because your current handset isn't living up to daily tasks anymore?

But I know that that's not the case for a lot of folks out there.

For those people, the Early Adopter, getting a new phone is just a routine. It's expected. If a new phone is launched, they're going to get it. Everyone in their life knows this to be the case, too. Those folks probably wait to buy the new thing at all, because they know the Early Adopter will tell them all about it.

I know a lot of early adopters, and many of them are worthy of the title. I know several people who, when a new product lands on store shelves (be it physical or digital, it doesn't matter), they are in the store soon after, making it theirs. It doesn't even matter how long they own the thing in general. If it's a new phone, these days with the focus on SIM cards makes it easier than ever to get a new handset, use it, and get rid of it if you so desire. Waiting in line for a new product isn't unheard of, either.

Early adopters can be found in any market, from phones to video games to movies, and we all have one thing in common: We need the new thing as quickly as possible. Even if we know, somewhere deep inside our brains, that the new thing won't last very long in our ecosystem, we still have to have it. Try it out. Say we own --or owned-- it.

I've been the same way for as long as I can remember, and I think it's about time that I stopped. Or, at the very least, slowed down in a big way. Getting my hands on the newest device is great, but getting rid of something soon after, either by returning it to the store or selling it privately, is kind of a hassle. And, let's face it, when a new product doesn't live up to your expectations after all that excitement, it kind of ruins the whole thing.

Are you an early adopter? Have you given up on getting your hands on the newest gadgets just because, or do you still do it every chance you get? What's the shortest amount of time that you've ever kept a device, and what's the longest (for a handset that you picked up as an early adopter)? Let me know!