Set up and activate right on the device.

FORBES: Apple: Live From The WWDC; OSX Lion, iOS 5; iCloud

Now, music fans in Mexico, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, and Austria can sign up and activate free streaming at rdio.com, without entering a credit card, then dive right into Rdio's library of over 18 million songs.

ENGADGET: Rdio on iPhone now shows which friends are listening, web streaming hits seven countries

Because it may be too much trouble to actually take out your smart phone, or heaven forbid open it up and activate the required app, by wearing your wallet on your sleeve, so to speak, you are wrist ready at all times.

FORBES: Golden Handcuffs: New Wristbands Make Mobile Payments Easy

Obviously, devices that do not have Play or other Google services do not activate with Google and therefore do not show up in Google Activation numbers.

FORBES: Android, China and Addressable Markets

After paying a steep 75-euro fee and sending a text to activate the service, we waited for the 3G symbol to pop up on our phones.

NPR: Tweets, Pics Give Real-Time Peek Into North Korea

By contrast, Apple allows up to five computers to access protected content, so I activate and de-activate the machines I want to use and if for some reason a machine crashes and takes an activation with it, I can de-activate all my computers and get my licenses back.

ENGADGET: Entelligence: Have we demonized DRM?

More immediately, many e-books will feature pop-up graphics, music, animation and video that pop up automatically, rather than embedded extras that users click on to activate.

WSJ: Enhanced E-Books: Blowing Up the Book

After reporting last week on the imminent availability of 3G mobile Internet, we turned up at the Koryolink offices Monday to be among the first ones to activate the service.

NPR: Tweets, Pics Give Real-Time Peek Into North Korea

He's rigged up a catapult to his mini-fridge, a tiny elevator to carry the beers activate a doll with a remote control - and voila, a beer-tossing machine.

NPR: Four Years of College Yield a Beer Catapult