Facebook hiring Apple engineers to work on smartphones - report ..........

Adding to the recent rumours of a Facebook phone, The New York Times is reporting that the social giant, which recently went public, is expanding its efforts to create a smartphone. This is not the first time that we are hearing such rumours. Both TechCrunch and AllThingsD have reported in the past that Facebook is building a smartphone, even if the company was working, the handset never made it to the market.

Fresh from its IPO, Facebook is reportedly exploring more opportunities to earn revenue and making smartphones is one of these. According to NY Times sources, most of whom include Facebook employees and several engineers sought by Facebook recruiters, the social giant has hired more than half a dozen Apple engineers who worked on the iPhone and iPad.

These engineers have joined the company's already existing mobile team, which is working on a smartphone, code named Buffy. The device which is based on a modified version of Android, was first revealed by tech blog AllThingsD last year.

With mobile being the biggest growth area right now, Facebook seeks to extend its mobile presence going beyond apps. "Mark is worried that if he doesn't create a mobile phone in the near future that Facebook will simply become an app on other mobile platforms," a Facebook employee told NY Times.