I think that going to 24" is too much screen if you are close but I also looked for the same price the Dell 2407WPF but found that Dell won´t serve me in the islands
I purchased a 21 LaCie factory rebuilt for $999, 3 month wrrenty.
It is a very high performance unit.
www.lacie.com
I currently use 2monitors, NEC Opticlear Multisync 90GX2
Not very expensive, but very bright screens with thin frames so you can stack them next to each other.
I think i paid £250 for each
That first one you listed looks sweet, very wide and bright.
If you haven't already been there, a search on the dpreview.com, pc forum will turn up helpful information for you, including a couple of very recent posts there on the subject.