OK, my Planar PX2611W is here. I've only had it for about 3 hours, but here's a quick comparison with the NEC 2470WNX:
1. The HardOCP forum pages (dark gray on black) and certain test images make the color/contrast shift of the 2470 S-PVA painfully obvious. I really didn't think it was that bad before, but I can tell you now I'll probably never buy anything but IPS again.
2. The black levels on the 2470 are better, but the Planar destroys it in every other way. There's no color/contrast shift, but the IPS "white glow" is noticeable at extreme angles. Viewing angles are still vastly superior on the Planar than the NEC.
3. The Planar has 3 stuck pixels. They're very difficult to see (I have to get right up to the screen), and all but one (red) are not visible except on all black screens. I could definitely live with it, but since I paid so much and got it from CDW (30 days w/2-day replacement), I'm going to RMA it. The NEC had zero dead/stuck pixels.
4. The combination of larger screen size and pixel pitch is exactly what I hoped it would be. Text was just as sharp on the NEC 24", but my old eyes were having a problem with it. I had to increase Windows DPI by 10% and set fonts to 10 point to comfortably use it. The Planar is perfect at Windows DPI and 9 point font defaults. I can see everything clearly, down to the details in Vista micro-icons. I can see the pixels on the Planar (higher pitch), which I couldn't on the NEC, but if the "screen-door" bothers you, sitting farther from the screen fixes it (and also allows you to see all of the huge 26" screen). Bottom line: if you have any problems with 1920x1200 on a 24", this monitor is perfect for you.
Conclusion: the NEC seems like better build quality/quality control (no dead/stuck pixels, no backlight bleeding, great manual, packaging, drivers and software) and has better blacks, but is slower and with twice the lag and much worse viewing angles. The Planar feels more like a plain "OEM" part (plain brown box and packing, puny manual, no drivers or software, 3 stuck pixels), and has worse blacks, but is superior in every other way and has half the lag. Also, the bigger size and pitch make it a much better fit for me. Furthermore, the Planar warranty is better than NEC's, and as far as I can tell is the best in the business.
For me, the Planar wins despite its faults. In the last 3 months, I've owned the best S-PVAs that ViewSonic and NEC make (VP2130b & 2470WNX). The 2470WNX was much better than the ViewSonic, but its still a PVA; and now that I've had a chance to compare, its clear that no amount of "high-quality NEC aura" can fix that. IPS is worth the money. So my recommendation for anyone looking for a 24-27" monitor is: If you can swing the extra $150, don't even waste your time with a 24" and/or non-IPS; get the Planar. Period.
Now I need to go try some games and see if I can tell the difference in response time and input lag...