What's the removable cover on the Joey for?

[Shinsen1378]

I've tried searching on and off the forum but can't find anything about it.
What is the little removable cover for?
If your Joey is vertical, it's on the top. If your joey is flat, it's on the right side.
It has a tab that goes into a slot which feels like it is activating a switch inside. I tried shining a light through the vent holes but cannot tell if there is a switch inside.
Even if I could see a switch, what would the switch do?

Any ideas?

 

[Bobby]

That sounds like the stand....

 

[sethwell]

i think it's for an SD type card for "future use". i believe someone stated that it might be for a smart card .

 

[3HaloODST]

SIM card slot. For future use.

 

[Bobby]

Yep, I just looked, a SIM card slot indeed....

 

[Shinsen1378]

Thanks. Wonder what it would/could be used for.

 

[glenwms]

This is part of the upcoming merger with Sprint. Each Hopper/Joey will have a Sprint SIM card and our satellite dishes will now use the Sprint signal. I believe I heard you must live in a 4G area to get Dish programming. If you're still in a 3G area, you will have basic cable delivered. Ha ha!!!!!!!!!

 

[Time_Shift]

So, does Dish have any real plans to use this port, or is it going to become this generation's SNES expansion port?

 

[3HaloODST]

So, does Dish have any real plans to use this port, or is it going to become this generation's SNES expansion port?

If/when they ever need to upgrade the Joey's internal SIM card, then yes. Think of that slot as the Joey-equivalent to a smart card slot.

 

[TheKrell]

Oh! I thought people were speaking inexactly and calling the smart card slot a SIM card slot. Does it actually accept a SIM card like that on GSM phones?

 

[3HaloODST]

Oh! I thought people were speaking inexactly and calling the smart card slot a SIM card slot. Does it actually accept a SIM card like that on GSM phones?

Yup. I highly doubt that it will ever be used for GSM, though. As I said, simply a smaller smart card. SIM cards have other purposes other than cellular.

 

[Colton Williams]

According to what we were told when the hopper came out, the port on top of the joey is NOT for a smart card it is for a SIM card, just like a cell phone, the idea was ( this was presented to us but i has not been mentioned since) that you could take your joey with you on vacation with a SIM card installed and it would link to a cell tower (whether dishes or sprints or whoever they didn't specify) and that cell tower would link you to your hopper if it was connected to the internet and BAM you have TV on you joey in California showing programming from your TV in New York all over a cell network. Not sure what the benefit of this is over just using sling, but maybe it was their fail-safe in case the Networks succeed in getting the sling banned.

 

[navychop]

Great idea, hope to see it implemented.