Abstract: An ultrasound method and system are presented for enabling an ultrasound device feature. An ultrasound device is installed with features that are not immediately available for use (i.e., the features are installed disabled). To enable these features, a key is locally or remotely supplied to the ultrasound device. With these preferred embodiments, hardware or software features of an ultrasound device can be enabled on demand for evaluation purposes. Further, if the feature is enable for a limited amount of time, a user can pay a reduced fee for the temporary use of the feature. Additionally, because the necessary hardware is factory-installed in and shipped with the ultrasound device, a user who desires the temporary or permanent use of a hardware feature can enable the feature without taking the ultrasound device off-line.