External display with pixel density similar to macbook pro 17" (132 ppi)
Unfortunately I think you're out of luck. The LCD panels that get put into computer displays are made by a relatively small number of companies. For various reasons (but primarily economies of scale) the manufacturers have settled onto a relatively small number of different panel sizes and resolutions (particularly at large resolutions), so it's pretty tough, if not impossible, to match pixel densities across different displays.

For resolutions higher than your MBP (1920x1200), there are really only two options on the market today:


2560x1600 — used in 30" monitors, ~101 PPI
2560x1440 — used in 27" monitors, ~109 PPI


Even if you go for a resolution around the same size as your MBP (1920x1200 or x1080), you can't get a similar density, as that resolution is typically only used in 21" - 24" external displays, resulting in PPI between 94 and 105.

The one device out there that does have a PPI close to your MBP is the non-retina iPad, which is pretty close to 132 PPI, but obviously you're giving up size and resolution there.

The next likely bump in resolution for desktop displays is probably going to be 3840x2160, which is 147 PPI in a 30" display, so still not that close.

You may find this page on Wikipedia informative.