Qualcomm looks as if it's calming its chief marketing officer, who dismissively called Apple's 64-bit iPhone 5S processor a gimmick in a recent interview.

"I think they are doing a marketing gimmick," said Anand Chandrasekher last week. "There's zero benefit a consumer gets from that."

Maybe not zero benefit now. The San Diego-based chipmaker issued a statement, backtracking from Chandrasekher's harsh criticism.

"The comments made by Anand Chandrasekher, Qualcomm CMO, about 64-bit computing were inaccurate," said Qualcomm to sites like CNET.

Going for the same 'gimmick'

Qualcomm's newfound stance on 64-bit processors could indicate that the company is likely going down the same path, as evidenced by its additional remarks today.

"The mobile hardware and software ecosystem is already moving in the direction of 64-bit" wrote the company.

"The evolution to 64-bit brings desktop class capabilities and user experiences to mobile, as well as enabling mobile processors and software to run new classes of computing devices."

Likewise, the semiconductor company probably doesn't want to become an enemy of Apple right now.

After all, the iPhone maker is looking for ways to ditch Samsung, which still manufacturers its A7 processor.

At least Qualcomm fessed up to Chandrasekher's comments being "inaccurate" instead of trying to explain them away by saying 64-bit isn't a "gimmick," but something it wants to "mimic."

• This, from the company that wants to give you the 'digital sixth sense'?

Google's Chromecast streaming dongle can now be obtained by those outside of the United States, thanks to some newly-available international shipping options on Amazon.

The small HDMI dongle, which enables content to be streamed from a smartphone or tablet, directly to a hi-def television set, has previously only been available in the US.

Google is still holding off on an official international expansion for its $35 device, but Amazon's new shipping option will mean those desperate to obtain a Chromecast dongle can do so for some heightened shipping costs.

Brits hoping to buy the device will have to fork over £22.50 for the device, plus £5.79 for standard shipping. Android Central is also reporting the device can be shipped to addresses in Australia also.

Apple TV killer?

Chromecast arrived as a highly affordable competitor to the Apple TV platform. It is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, Mac OS X and Google Chrome OS devices.

It uses cloud mirroring to pull down content from the web, rather than streaming it directly from the smartphone or tablet. Apps for the device are thin on the ground so far, but content providers are expressing an interest.

Still trying to decide which mobile-to-TV streaming device is right for you? Peruse the following: Apple TV vs Google Chrome: Which is better?

AT&T could launch a Voice over LTE-capable smartphone as early as this year, according to one AT&T executive.

AT&T Labs President Krish Prabhu said during a keynote at the PCIA wireless infrastructure conference in Florida that there "might be a VoLTE-compliant device for the holidays this year," Fierce Wireless reported today.

He added that AT&T is testing the network upgrade that will enable VoLTE "right now," although a full, commercial VoLTE launch won't occur until 2014.

In other words, change may be coming slowly - but it appears it really is coming.

A painless transition

There's no word yet on what AT&T's first VoLTE-compatible phone will be. We reached out to the carrier to find out if it has anything else to share, but we haven't heard back yet.

Voice over LTE will provide HD call quality, but only if both parties on the call are using VoLTE phones, Prabhu said.

The transition should be painless, as new phones will be released with VoLTE support built in and existing 4G LTE networks will be upgraded gradually.

The competition

Samsung announced in August that new Galaxy S3 handsets will come with VoLTE out of the box, starting in Korea.

Meanwhile Verizon is expected to roll out its own VoLTE service and handsets this year as well.

Verizon was testing VoLTE deployment as early as a year ago, when it was bragging about hitting its 400th LTE market.

According to Fierce Wireless, Verizon's first Voice over LTE phone will launch this year, with the service launching commercially in the first half of next year, much like AT&T.

• TechRadar has everything you need to know about 4G and LTE.

It's been rumored for months that Google Hangouts will get SMS and MMS message support, and a report from yesterday made that seem even more likely.

Android Police rated its confidence in the SMS for Google Hangouts rumor "a 9 out of 10," saying "it's almost a sure thing."

According to the Android blog, Google Hangouts' version 1.3 update will add SMS message functionality, possibly merging the mobile OS's existing SMS messaging app with Hangouts just like the last update did with Google Talk.

The Hangouts update will reportedly add video sharing as well.

It's all in the details

And the site produced alleged leaked screenshots, seen above, to prove it.

SMS messages sent via Hangouts will reportedly sport a "via SMS" tag so users know exactly what the app is doing.

MMS multimedia messages will also be supported, though the site could not confirm with its sources whether that includes MMS video or just MMS images.

And the leaked screenshot shows settings toggles that include wireless alerts, auto-retrieval of SMS messages while roaming and otherwise, delivery reports, and a toggle for SMS in Hangouts itself.

The one thing this rumor lacks is an expected release date for the Google Hangouts 1.3 update, but if the screenshot is legit then SMS in Hangouts is probably being tested and could arrive soon.

• Here's everything we've heard about the next version of Google's mobile operating system, Android 4.4: KitKat.

There is indeed an iPad version of Microsoft Office coming down the pike, but the company is initially saving that touch-friendly experience for its own Windows devices.

The Verge today reported that Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer has confirmed the existence of Office for iPad - but it's no closer to landing on Apple's market-leading tablet.

Speaking at the Gartner Symposium ITXPO in Orlando on Tuesday, the outgoing Microsoft CEO revealed the company's "in progress" plans for a "touch first interface," but has no plans to make it available first on a competing platform.

"iPad will be picked up when there's a touch first user interface," Ballmer remarked to conference attendees, suggesting that Office for Windows will be where the new version makes its premiere.

Owning productivity

According to Microsoft insiders, that sentiment appears to be echoed by Chief Operating Officer B. Kevin Turner, who recently proclaimed the company's intention to "own the productivity experience across all devices."

That's certainly not the case just yet, with Office restricted to an iPhone-only app that requires an annual subscription to use - despite persistent leaks and rumors that an iPad version actually does exist.

Microsoft Executive Vice President, Applications and Services Qi Lu also recently confirmed "touch-first versions of our core apps in the Office suite" during a recent meeting with analysts.

For now, "touch-first" appears to also mean "Windows first," but Microsoft isn't giving any indication of how soon that initiative might land in the waiting hands (and fingers) of users.

• Check out our full review of Apple's latest iOS 7 operating system!