The latest Apple rumors point - literally - to new security features built into the iPhone 5S.

According to the sometimes-questionable China Times, Taiwanese company Chipbond is developing touch display drivers for the next-gen iPhone to support both NFC and fingerprint scanning.

The rumor doesn't come as much of a surprise, especially following a recent Apple patent that would equip future iPhones with a fingerprint reader next to the home button.

Notably, Apple's patent described a liquid crystal security window for scanning fingerprints, which fits with Chipbond's specialty in developing LCD drivers.

iPhone 5S - the S stand for security

Rumors of fingerprint scanners and NFC support in Apple's devices trace back to last July when Apple bought mobile security firm AuthenTec for $356 million (UK£238 million, UA$346 million).

AuthenTec's specialization was in fingerprint scanning technology, a specialty shared by biosecurity firm Microlatch, which Apple has reportedly also been in talks with since last year.

While fingerprint scanning could be used as added security to unlock a device, it's also rumored to be a key part of the next iPhone's NFC support by asking for fingerprint confirmation to make payments more secure.

Apple's actions speak to its interest in using fingerprint scanning and NFC technology in its devices, and if the rumors are true and the chips are already in production, then we may be looking at a key iPhone 5S security feature.

How this special features stacks up to the Galaxy S4's reported eye scrolling tech, we may not know for a few months. But fingerprints vs. eyeballs could make for an interesting dichotomy between the two firms.

Last week Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller was quick to poke some fun at Android security, posting a link on Twitter to an F-Secure report that paints a dire -- if not overblown -- picture of the malware situation on Google’s mobile operating system. But for the past six months Apple was also guilty of leaving its iOS App Store open to attacks that could trick users into installing paid apps or steal their passwords.

In a recent blog post, Google researcher Elie Bursztein reports that Apple has finally enabled HTTPS-by-default for the App Store as part of a raft of server-side security improvements and performance tweaks, even though he and a couple of other researchers had warned them about the dangers of this omission back in July 2012.

Up until January 23, 2013 the company only used HTTPS for purchase pages.

Like most attacks exploiting the lack of full-session HTTPS on websites, the App Store attacks described by Bursztein could have been carried out against users of public Wi-Fi networks like those found in libraries, parks, airports, coffee shops and so on. He went on to demonstrate a few possible scenarios.

Password stealing: By intercepting the unencrypted traffic whenever an app update is requested from the iTunes server, and attacker could then inject code to produce a pop up asking for the users' password.

App swapping: It is possible to swap a free app with a paid app, forcing the user to buy and install the attacker’s app of choice instead of the one the user originally intended.

Fake upgrade: Similar to the previous scenario, and attacker could trick the user into buying and installing an app by inserting a fake update prompt or hijacking an actual update prompt to silently redirect them to another app. In both cases it’s possible to monetize this attack by having a very expensive application available through the App Store and tricking the user into purchasing it using the app swapping approach.

Preventing application installation: Without HTTPS it’s possible to prevent the user from installing/upgrading applications either by stripping the app out of the store or tricking the app into believing it is already installed.

Privacy leak: The App Store application update mechanism discloses the list of the apps installed on the device.

It’s unclear if any of these scenarios have actually been exploited in the wild but now that HTTPS is enabled by default on the App Store it’s no longer an issue. Bursztein says he’s really happy that his spare-time work pushed Apple to finally protect users.

The latest Apple rumors point to new security features with both a fingerprint sensor and Near-Field Communication reader built into the iPhone 5S.

According to the sometimes questionable China Times, Taiwanese company Chipbond is developing touch display drivers for the new iPhone to support both NFC and fingerprint scanning.

The rumor does not come as much of a surprise, following a recent Apple patent that would equip future iPhones with a fingerprint reader next to the home button.

Notably, Apple's patent described a liquid crystal security window for scanning fingerprints, which fits with Chipbond's specialty in developing LCD drivers.

iPhone 5S, the S stand for security

Rumors of fingerprint scanners and NFC support in Apple's devices trace back to last July when Apple bought mobile security firm AuthenTec for $356 million.

AuthenTec's specialization was in fingerprint scanning technology, a specialty shared by biosecurity firm Microlatch which Apple has reportedly also been in talks with since last year.

While fingerprint scanning could be used as added security to unlock a device, it is also rumored to be a key part of the next iPhone's NFC support by asking for fingerprint confirmation to make payments more secure.

Apple is clearly interested in using fingerprint scanning and NFC technology in its devices, and if the rumors are true and the chips are already in production then we may be looking at a key iPhone 5S security feature.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 may offer a 3D camera, or so it seems from a new trademark filing made by the South Korean firm.

Filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office as trademark number 85866868 (there will be a quiz on that number), the mark is not exactly for a 3D Galaxy S4 lens, but instead a logo for a new 3D camera feature called "2D 3D Movie & Still."

The logo has circular arrows pointing between the words 2D and 3D, indicating that the feature can convert movies and still images between 2D and 3D formats.

According to the trademark, it was filed for under a class of patent covering "[a]pplication software for smart phones; application software for tablet computers; digital cameras; USB flash drives; mobile telephones; portable media players; portable computers; rechargeable batteries; smart phones; tablet computers; wireless headsets; lenses for cameras."

What device will support it?

The trademark's intended use for smartphones, as well as the recent filing date on March 5, has led to speculation that the feature is intended for the Galaxy S4.

The trademark could just as easily apply to the firm's tablets or non-smartphone cameras, so a 3D camera in the Galaxy S4 is far from confirmed.

All the trademark indicates for certain is that Samsung is developing a feature to convert videos and photos from 2D to 3D and vice versa.

The Galaxy S4 is set to debut at Samsung's Unpacked event on March 14, so there's mercifully little time left for speculation. TechRadar will be in New York in 3D, high-def, surround sound, etc., so stay tuned for all the latest.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 may offer a 3D camera, according to a new trademark filing from the Korean firm.

Filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office as trademark number 85866868, the mark is not exactly for a 3D Galaxy S4 lens, but instead a logo for a new 3D camera feature called '2D 3D Movie & Still.'

The logo has circular arrows pointing between the words 2D and 3D, indicating that the feature can convert movies and still images between 2D and 3D formats.

According to the trademark, it was filed for use with "Application software for smart phones; application software for tablet computers; digital cameras; USB flash drives; mobile telephones; portable media players; portable computers; rechargeable batteries; smart phones; tablet computers; wireless headsets; lenses for cameras."

What device will support it?

The trademark's intended use for smartphones, as well as the recent filing date on March 5, has led to speculation that the feature is intended for the Galaxy S4.

The trademark could just as easily apply to the firm's tablets or non-smartphone cameras, so a 3D camera in the Galaxy S4 is far from confirmed.

All the trademark indicates for certain is that Samsung is developing a feature to convert videos and photos from 2D to 3D and vice versa.

The Galaxy S4 is set to debut at Samsung's "Unpacked" event on March 14, so there is little time left for speculation. TechRadar will be there with all of the latest, 3D camera or not.