There was a time when the phones in our pockets didnt look nearly identical to one another. Before the iPhone ushered in an age of rectangular, monotone devices, cellphones came in all shapes and sizes. Many offerings were colorful, some were innovative, some were absolute disastersand some of them never saw the light of day.Few companies better embodied all of these possibilities than Nokia. At its peak, the Finnish telecom giant comprised 40 percent of the entire mobile phone market and generated four percent of the nations GDP. Phones like the Nokia 5510 and 7210 became cultural touchstones, while its NSeries models paved the way for Apples camera-enabled smartphone features. Nokias influence began to wane not long after the iPhones 2007 debut (as well as a disastrous attempt to compete with Nintendo over handheld gaming dominance). While not the phone giant it once was, Nokia still provides wireless networking and backend technologies for clients around the world.This week, Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland launched the Nokia Design Archive, a free-to-use, digital trove featuring 700 exhibits documenting the companys history, influence, and products. Here are just a few looks at the tech aesthetics of the 90s and Y2K eras.(Click to expand images.)Nokia 252The Nokia 252 quickly became one of the most recognizable pre-Y2K cellphones after its release in 1998. Available in multiple colors, the 252 was also one of Nokias last products to use the 1G wireless network.Credit: Nokia Design Archive Nokia 6110The 6110 might not look like much, but precursor to Nokias 3110 Brick phone occupies a pivotal spot in pop culture history: The 6110 is the first phone to ever feature the video game, Snake. The easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master game was also accompanied by the time-wasters, Logic and Memory puzzlers.Credit: Nokia Design Archive N-GageCodenamed Starship during its development, Nokia intended the N-Gage to cut into the handheld video game market firmly dominated at the time by Nintendos GameBoy Advance. Nokias target teen demographic didnt go for it. instead, they nicknamed the unequivocal failure the taco phone in honor of its odd, clunky shape.Credit: Nokia Design Archive MorphNot all of Nokias concepts made it to store shelves, and the Morph might be one of the best examples. But theres a pretty good reason why people never got a chance to try out the extremely green, flexible wearablethe nanotechnology underpinning it still doesnt exist.Credit: Nokia Design Archive unknownMoonrakerWhile this Nokia-Microsoft Moonraker project got closer to reality than the Morph, it still ended up in the dustbin of device history in favor of Microsofts ill-fated Band.Credit: Nokia Design Archive Virtual GlassesDetails are sparse about Nokias early VR/AR plans apart from a couple of conceptual renderings like this one. Its also difficult to know exactly when the company first considered investing in the technology, although the archive estimates it is from circa 1999.Credit: Nokia Design Archive Nokia 8810The Nokia 8110 debuted in 1996, but it wasnt until three years later that the cellphone became entrenched in Y2K culture thanks to its (slightly augmented) cameo in The Matrix.Credit: Nokia Design Archive Nokia 5110Designed as the casual users alternative to the more business-friendly 6110, the 5110 featured an 8448-pixel monochrome LCD screen illuminated by four LED backlights. It was also the first to feature colorful, swappable Xpress-On faceplates in a bid to appeal to younger demographics.Credit: Nokia Design Archive 3G Cell Phone ConceptThe 3G wireless networks introduction in 2001 offered previously impossible internet connectivity options for cellphone owners. Pictured is one of Nokias concept devices intended to illustrate a phones new capabilities, including internet access and GPS maps.Credit: Nokia Design Archive Fun CameraNokias Fun Camera released around 2003, long before the ability to take high-resolution photographs was a smartphone prerequisite. The standalone digital camera accessory relied on AAA batteries, and could transfer pictures to a cellphone using a wire cable.Credit: Nokia Design Archive End of an EraNokia only briefly waded into the smartphone era before the iPhone cornered the market for years to come. While executives at the time intended to give Apple a run for its money as seen in this opposition presentation slideshow, the iPhone signaled the end of an era for the company.Credit: Nokia Design Archive