As Google pushes more and more into the smartphone and tablet market with its Android operating system, it’s a no brainer to figure out that the company previously mostly known for its search business will come into conflict with the other gorilla in the mobile operating space, Apple. The media frenzy that results from these expected differences can be deafening in its fervor at times.

The press, however, has it all wrong, said Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt, speaking to the Wall Street Journal. His take? That businesses must be run more like countries, with diplomatic meetings and the like. He said that “the adult way to run a business is to run it more like a country. They have disputes, yet they’ve actually been able to have huge trade with each other. They’re not sending bombs at each other.”

Look out for more Android malware in 2013.

One of the biggest reasons I switched from Windows to a Mac all those years ago was OS X’s supposed immunity to malware and viruses. I’ve quickly discovered throughout 2012, however, that my Mac isn’t as safe on the Internet as I’d been led to believe. A new report from antivirus experts Sophos today highlights that.

The company’s Security Threat Report 2013 declares 2012 to be the year of “new platforms and changing threats.” Hackers are switching their focus from Windows to other platforms, including Mac OS X. Today’s biggest target, however, is Google’s Android platform.

Is Samsung hard at work on a 7-inch Galaxy Note?

Benchmarks for a mysterious Samsung tablet codenamed the GT-N5100 have surfaced online, sparking speculation that the Korean electronics giant is working on a 7-inch version of the Galaxy Note. The device would fit in nicely between the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II and the Galaxy Note 10.1, and it would allow Samsung to compete with other tiny tablets like Apple’s iPad mini, Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, and Google’s Nexus 7.

Samsung continues to do well in the U.S.

Samsung has once again taken the top spot for mobile market share in the United States after attracting more than a quarter of mobile subscribers. The Korean company claimed 26.3% of the market as of October 2012, but rival Apple is quickly catching up. The iPhone maker saw the highest level of growth among cellphone manufacturers, and managed to overtake LG to take second place.

It’s about time.

Galaxy S III owners in Canada have just been treated to an early Christmas gift, courtesy of Samsung. The company is now — finally! — rolling out its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update over-the-air to those on Bell, Rogers, TELUS, and Virgin.