This column brings you the most interesting and useful business and financial commentary on technology from around the Web every day. What fun!   VentureBeat Link: Apple Was the Largest US Phone Vendor in Q4 “Strong sales of the iPhone 5 helped push Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) to the top spot among US phone vendors reports the research firm Strategy Analytics. “The firm estimates Apple shipped 17.7 million iPhones during the fourth quarter (Apple’s own figures cover its fiscal quarters not calendar quarters) barely edging out Samsung’s 16.8 million phones. That left Apple with 34% of the US phone market (a ...