Fans of The Big Bang Theory probably remember Raj Koothrappali’s room as a monument to awkward genius, and there was one thing that constantly stood out: a 22-inch monitor with speakers that appeared to float, wrapped in a coating of glass. Dell created the Crystal (model C22W). It debuted in early 2008 for $1,199 (about $1,800 now), a time when most screens were less expensive and focused on functionality over form.
Dell first showed the Crystal at CES 2007, slipping it into a sea of prototypes as a “concept” that looked ready to ship. Then, days before CES 2008 kicked off in Las Vegas, the company dropped the full reveal from its Round Rock headquarters. A press release described it as a fusion of art and utility: a 22-inch widescreen LCD panel sealed in 4mm tempered glass, perched on a tripod of chrome-plated zinc alloy. Four speakers tucked into the sides, wired through tiny holes in the glass, and a 2-megapixel webcam hid up top, with a built-in microphone. Everything funneled through one cable that split into HDMI with HDCP, DVI adapter, USB 2.0 for peripherals, power brick, and an RCA jack for an optional subwoofer Dell teased but never widely sold.
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Instead of plastic bezels and exposed ports like Dell’s conventional monitors, designers encased the screen in a perfect glass face—nearly an inch thick on top and bottom and three inches on the sides. Thin copper wires snaked around the back, connecting touch-sensitive buttons at the base and powering speakers without a seam.
That single cable was a masterpiece of desk minimalism, combining video, music, data, and power into a tidy package. Colors shine thanks to TrueColor technology’s 98% gamut, 2ms gray-to-gray response time, and 2000:1 contrast ratio. Four speakers, each in its own chrome pod, produce stereo sound, louder than most built-in speakers. One catch: a beep chimes in on every button press, toggleable in settings.
The webcam fares better—up to 1600×1200 at 10fps or smooth 640×480 at 30fps in natural light, with software for exposure tweaks that Dell bundled but rarely surfaces now. Pair it with a third party DDC app like ClickMonitor (if your OS plays nice) and you can control the OSD from the desktop, though Vista era glitches often block the full suite.
