The five worst ideas in tech history

5. Nokia N-Gage

In fairness, the N-Gage was ahead of it's time.

Looking to break into the space of handheld gaming through a mobile phone, the N-Gage really did deliver console-like visuals better than any handheld console could muster. Nokia saw the need for a really portable and useful games device, and thought they could capitalise on the space.

If you think about it, what Nokia was trying to do is what Apple managed to succeed with. And now mobile gaming is the biggest market for video games. So, there was definitely something in it.

Unfortunately, Nokia wasn't going to be the company to break into that space. The N-Gage was cumbersome as a mobile, and poorly designed as a gaming device.

Fancied playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater instead of Tomb Raider? No problem! Just prise the back cover off, take out the battery, and then change the game cartridge and reboot your phone! Simple really. Game cartridges weren't even all that portable, so most of the time you'd just have one game on the go per trip.

As a phone it had a peculiar keyboard positioned either side of a tiny portrait screen. Taking calls required you to put the phone's top edge to the side of your face, essentially making it look like you had one huge ear. While the N-Gage 2 was a slightly better follow-up, this is an idea that sorely needed to die.

Next: number four