Keeping up with Nokia's steady stream of new handsets hitting the market invariably means juggling two or three at any one time, but for a good three months now I've been returning to the Nokia X7 as my primary handset, and thought I'd share what living with this Symbian Anna handset has been like. 

Check out our full Nokia X7 Review Roundup

After concentrating my efforts on the Nokia C5-03 it's safe to say the Nokia X7 made a significant impact on me when I first got my hands on it. There's no getting around it: with a 4-inch screen this is a seriously big piece of mobile kit.

And while you get used to anything after a while, it's got to be said: it's simply not as attractive as say the Nokia N8 or Nokia E7. It's a bold, “edgy” design in keeping with the X Series ethos, but I can't really see what damage would have been done by adding a dash of “good looking” into that ethos too. But others may disagree...

What I will say is that the design does actually work when it comes to holding the Nokia X7 in landscape mode for a spot of gaming. It's a subtle thing, but the shape of the handset, the placing of the speakers and the geometric lines sees it feel more like a handheld console than a phone, which I suppose is the payoff for the odd design.

I'll confess that my gaming exploits didn't go beyond the pre-loaded Asphalt 5, but I did spend a fair bit of time getting to grips with this high-octane driving game on the Nokia X7, and actually found it to be good fun. I didn't try the pure accelerometer-based steering, but the size of the screen leaves plenty of space for you to be jabbing away while still being able to see what's what.

Speaking of which, messaging on the Nokia X7 is a pleasure thanks to that large screen. I can understand why Symbian^3 veterans are delighted that Symbian Anna introduces a portrait-style QWERTY keyboard, but to be honest I never used it as the Nokia X7 is so comfortable to hold in landscape mode.

And you quickly build up confidence tapping away at speed – the software does a good job of correcting small errors, and I've steadily built up confidence in knowing pretty much exactly how careless I can be in jabbing at the screen before the Nokia X7 really does have no idea what I'm trying to type.

One downside I have noticed, however, is that occasionally the software keyboard develops dead keys that simply don't respond at all no matter how hard, or how many times, you press them. It's something other Nokia X7 users are experiencing too from the looks of things, and so far the best solution seems to be to activate the keylock, then go back in – so far this has worked, but it is a bit annoying.

Overall the experience of living with the Nokia X7 kind of matches the first impressions you get from looking at it: it's unusual, of that there's no doubt, and different, but it certainly has its plus points, and overall it's been a mobile companion I've enjoyed having around.