Snapchat Spectacles And 6 Other Terrible Tech Products That Were Doomed To Fail

What were they thinking?

Technology today is often so innovative, that we never even realised we needed the gadget until we simply couldn’t live without it. 

But then there are also the products that should never have left the drawing board. Snapchat, what were you thinking? 

1. Snapchat Spectacles
Snap Inc
Snapchat are daring to tread where many have failed before them - the gadget glasses.

In the world of wearable tech, no one has quite managed to convince a sceptical audience that we want to be wearing our smartphones on our faces.

But Snapchat (now Snap Inc.) has created camera-spectacles take ten second clips of video (or photos) and feed them through to your legions of fans via WIFI.

CEO Evan Spiegel says they're only meant to be a 'bit of fun'. Fun that is gonna cost you over £100...
2. Yota Phone
YotaPhone
Ever wanted to check your phone, without actually checking your phone? Yeah, us neither.

The first Yota Phone model in 2012 (there are now two believe it or not) introduced a unique double-display model to the world.

Allowing users to have the usual smartphone screen on one side and a lower resolution e-ink display on the back (so everyone in the pub can definitely see who is texting you).

Good if you're trying to use your phone as a Kindle and read hours worth of books, not so good at just being a phone.
3. Oakley Thump
PAUL J.RICHARDS via Getty Images
When are these tech companies going to get the message about wearing technology around our eyes? We're really not into it.

In 2005, Oakley tried to convince us that we needed an MP3 player strapped to our temples.

This idea, which not only makes you look like you're an extra from The Matrix, would also have set you back over £400.

That really would have been a thump in your bank account.
4. Belty
Belty
Remember that pair of awkwardly tight jeans that you resigned to the back of your wardrobe?

Well let us introduce Belty, the 2015 electronic version of that tight denim waistband.

This self-adjusting horror show essentially shames you into eating less as it tracks your waistline expanding...

Unsurprisingly people didn't want this realtime reminder of how much they'd eaten for lunch.
5. Sony Rolly
Bloomberg via Getty Images
For all those parties that would have been made so much better with a dancing speaker, Sony Rolly is here to answer your prayers.

Back in 2007, the tech gods at Sony apparently thought that an egg-shaped sound system that could move autonomously was what the people wanted.

The music player had two wheels that allowed it to rotate and spin, as well as two bands of LED lights, all of which could be synchronized to the music being played.
6. Nokia N-Gage
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Nokia N-Gage, more commonly known as the 'taco phone', tried to do too much and ended up being unable to quite do anything.

The dual-function phone was an attempt to lure gamers away from the Game Boy Advance by giving them gaming and calling in one device.

In short, you can't have it all and Nokia learnt the hard way.
7. MSN Direct Smart Watch
Chris Farina via Getty Images
Launched back in 2004, the MSN smart watch was arguably just ahead of it's time.

Touching on a lot of the features we now see in Apple watches (weather, emails) the smart watch was also pretty aesthetically pleasing, designed by Fossil, Tissot and Swatch.

But the expensive monthly fee charged by Microsoft was the nail in the coffin for this gadget.