Well, I'm on 8800 #2 right now. Just got #3 in the mail today. I went to switch device in desktop mgr. and backed up 8800 #2. Plugged in 8800 #3. Update went ok, no problems. I pulled the battery out to put the sim card in. When I put the battery back in the phone quickly vibrated and boom, fried. I'm now waiting for #4 to be shipped by T-Mobile. I'm half tempted once I get it to trade someone for an unlocked 8300 and just be done with the 8800 series all together. WHo knows. I just hope that #4 actually works....

is that even possible? that's some bad luck.
does it matter if you restore the phone without your sim card in first? iuno just a thought.

edit: hope it goes well for you!

Possible? Anything is possible. Unlikely? You sure would think so.

Ditto on the hope.

Not sure if this is possible but could it be your sim card. If it is working before you put in the sim card that seems like it could be the problem.

it sucks 2 be u! but, best of luck with #4!!!!

Hopefully #4 goes well. Honestly, I would be all over the Curve, but I love the GPS in the 8800. Swapping a GPS for a camera really doesn't do it for me. Now the wifi version of the 8800 that will have the seemless transition from T-Mobile to wifi is something i'm excited about.

Not sure if this helps but when i did a device transfer from my pearl to 8800, i actually took the sim card out of the pearl, put it in the 8800, backedup the pearl then transfer all to 8800 with no problem. perhaps try that with #4? Good luck!

Are the devices fine before you copy your files over to it? Perhaps you have some kind of corrupt file or something. If you've had the same problem 4 times now, it pretty much has to be user error unless your UPS delivery man likes to play hockey with your packages. RIM just doesn't ship that many defective devices in my experience and I worked for AT&T for about a year.

As the saying goes, If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you always got. Some consider trying to do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is a sign of insanity.

Change something before you do go insane...or before they stop sending you free replacements.

Good luck.

Yes before connecting to BBDM;
Just see if you've got EDGE, make & receive calls - both to/from wired/cell lines.
make sure emails come in. (Host Routing Table to register the unit to the service)
DON'T restore from a FULL backup but a selected backup (components like Bookmarks etc. (BIS setup).
If on BES have their Admin get it sourted.

If you continue to have issues. Wait untill the curve releases for t-mobile. Then ***** and complain to them and they will send you the curve. trust me it works.

Thanks for cheating the system.

Just for your useless trivia knowledge, it was Albert Einstein who defined insanity in that way:

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."