Gift Guide: Dell 2405FPW

Well, it's been a nice run everyone. For the last day of Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide we present the mother of all 2005 monitors, Dell's 2405FPW. Hopefully you've gotten all your holiday shopping done by now, because if you expect to make a run to pick one up today, you're probably gonna be sorely disappointed -- they're not sold in stores, of course. But the good news is the 2405's successor, the 3007WFP, is about to be launched in about two weeks, so if you're down with being the late gift-giver (or are just in the market for a new display), you'll probably be able to pick one of these up for a song in the very near future. Hey, it won't be anything to scoff at for some time; after all, it may not have the luster of one of those beautiful Apple Cinema displays, but outside matching its 1920 x 1200 resolution, the 2405FPW does have a leg up on the Apple 23-inch with an extra viewable inch of screen real estate, penty more inputs, a 1000:1 contrast ratio (over 400:1), brightness of 500 cd/m2 (over 270 cd/m2), and a 9-in-1 card reader.

And for those of you out there who may still be looking for a gift, check out the Gift Guide in its entirety below, all 35 days of it. Happy holidays, everyone!

• Lincoln Navigator RC truck blasts MP3s
• Uninterruptible power supplies
• Pyramat PM220 speaker-embedded gaming chair
• Danby Countertop Dishwasher
• Eton's FR300 hand-crankable Multi Purpose Radio
• Panasonic's 50-inch TH-50PHD8UK plasma TV
• Stanley's dual-purpose construction watches
• Nuvo: the charming, mild-mannered robotic overlord
• The Voltaic Messenger solar-powered bag
• The Sega iDog from Hasbro
• Garmin StreetPilot i and c Series GPS receivers
• Rival Chocolate Fountain
• Shure E4c headphones
• Memina Rocket
• Sony's HDR-HC1 HDV camcorder
• The Slingbox Personal Broadcaster from Sling Media
• Gamepark's GPX2 Linux-based media player / game console
• The Sonos Digital Music System
• Give back to the digital community: donate to the EFF
• Meade CaptureView 3.2 megapixel digital camera binoculars
• Logitech Harmony 800 universal learning remote
• iRobot Scooba: less mopping more yule
• "Retro Classic" tabletop arcade games
• Philips 7FF1AW digital photo display
• Canon PowerShot SD450
• Epson PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition portable photo printer
• The WowWee Robosapien v2
• Optoma MovieTime DV10 Home Theater Projector
• Harman Kardon Drive Play
• Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D
• Vex Robotics Starter Kit and add-ons
• Firefly cellphone for kids
• 3-in-1 Breakfast Maker gourmet-kitchen-in-a-box
• Plantronics DSP-500 The Gift of VoIP
• The Samsung YP-U1
• Sony VAIO XL1 Media Center PC

[TheDuckOfDeath Posted Dec 24th 2005 3:20PM]

I've got two of these on my desk right now! They rock! If you're in the market for a new monitor, definately take a look at this. I just got my second one about a month ago, and now I hear tell of a bigger, badder one. Oh, well...

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2005 3:22PM]

How about one of those Apple 30"ers though?

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2005 3:27PM]

i think you mean successor, not predecessor since the 3007wfp is coming after the 2405fpw

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2005 3:41PM]

Any more news on the HDCP variants that were supposedly going to be released along with the 3007WFP?

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2005 3:43PM]

I think you mean that the 3007WFP is the 2405FPW's *successor*, not its predecessor.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2005 3:59PM]

Happy Holidays to you too!

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2005 4:04PM]

I love this monitor. Having two full size browser windows side by side is a definite plus. I use it to watch tv PIP and have the 360 hooked up to it for HD gaming. http://common.weblogsinc.com/common/images/3060000000055699.JPG?0.9160215767804512

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2005 4:22PM]

The new Dell commercial shows a smaller 20" monitor with cool looking display stand similar to the upcoming 30". Is Dell also refreshing the entire line?

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2005 4:51PM]

i bought two 1905fp's for $225 each a couple months ago and it really changed the way i work at home. the problem though is i always feel constrained at work and i my laptop docking station doesnt support dual monitors. dual 3007's are beyond belief. but when/if i move into a smaller apartment one 3007 would be great as a hdtv/computer monitor. hdcp support was what stopped me from getting a 2405 in the first place.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2005 9:29PM]

How do you watch tv with the 24inch Dell monitor? Does the monitor have those a/v inputs and HD compatible?

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 25th 2005 10:43AM]

You can hook up HD via component video or DVI. HD is 1920x1080, and this monitor's native resolution is 1920x1200, so yes, it can handle HD.



With the increased resolution of the 30", you'll probably be upgrading your hardware just to get the first one running. Forget the dual display off the same computer!



I'm using a 24" at home and I have one sitting in a box for when I get into my new office. Like many have said, it's the best piece of computer equipment I have ever owned (and I just built the shoebox-sized, barebones AOpen MZ855-II Pentium M desktop computer that's running it -- the second best piece of computer equipment I have ever owned).

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2005 7:08AM]

The dvi is not HDCP therefore it will not display HD protected content when windows vista arrives, thats why many people are waiting for a true hdcp monitor with dvi-hdcp or hdmi. Anyone know when one is going to be released?