It was like a cross between the two items you are showing. It was a pod large enough for 4 gauges, but it attached to one side of the main dash pod, sort of lengthening it toward the middle of the dash while still keeping it a smooth curve. VERY nice looking. I do not like the two items you are showing from an aesthetic point of view, but I would be more interested in a dash pod add-on like the one I saw.
Not sure how such a thing would accomodate the air vents though. :(