[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO:6502) today announced that it will start sample shipments of “TCM9518MD”, for application in smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, on January 31, 2014.

The new product is the industry's first[1] dual camera module to incorporate twin 1/4 inch optical format 5-megapixel CMOS camera modules (5 megapixels x 2 arrays), which simultaneously outputs recorded images and depth data.

The dedicated image processing LSI of the “TCM9518MD” measures and appends depth data to objects in the image. Used in combination with customers' applications, the module supports new photo functions, including focus and defocus, and even allows objects in photographs to be extracted and erased.