The rumor that Facebook is looking to build its own smartphone has surfaced yet again, and this time it seems more convincing. New York Times' Nick Bilton reported on Sunday, May 27, that the social networking giant is working to release its own smartphone by next year.

In the new report, Bilton cited multiple unnamed sources, which include Facebook employees, several engineers who have been contacted by Facebook recruiters, and people familiar with Facebook's plans. The latter, i.e. the sources briefed with the company's plans, told Bilton that Facebook has already hired more than half a dozen "former Apple software and hardware engineers who worked on the iPhone, and one who worked on the iPad."

Rumor Roundup

TechCrunch first started talking about a Facebook phone back in 2010, and there have been several reports since indicating a Facebook phone may be in the works. AllThingsD reported back in November that the social networking company had talked with HTC to build a smartphone that integrates Facebook at its core. The effort was codenamed "Buffy." DigiTimes then reiterated that rumor, reporting that HTC was actually working in cooperation with Facebook to build a phone that could be released in the third quarter of 2012. HTC already launched two smartphones with dedicated Facebook buttons - the HTC ChaCha and the HTC Salsa - but the Facebook phone reportedly involves deeper integration.

'Going Deeper into the Process'

"Now, the company has been going deeper into the process," Bilton reports, "by expanding the group working on 'Buffy,' and exploring other smartphone projects too, creating a team of seasoned hardware engineers who have built the devices before."

"One engineer who formerly worked at Apple and worked on the iPhone said he met with Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, who then peppered him with questions about the inner workings of a smartphone," added Bilton. "It did not sound like the idle intellectual curiosity, the engineer said; Mr. Zuckerberg asked about intricate details, including the types of chips used, he said. Another former Apple hardware engineer was recruited by a Facebook executive and was told about the company's hardware explorations."

Facebook made no comment on these rumors at this time. "We're working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers," reads a statement Facebook had previously given AllThingsD. CNET reached out for a comment on the story, but Facebook declined. "We don't comment on rumors and speculation," a Facebook representative told CNET.

Efforts to Go Mobile

There have been plenty of news and rumors about Facebook recently. After acquiring photo startup Instagram a short while ago, Facebook rolled out its Facebook Camera app this week. The company also provides a Facebook Messages app, a Facebook app store, and has tweaked its messaging service with a couple of new features. Moreover, Facebook is now reportedly looking to acquire Opera Software, the company behind the Opera browser.

The social networking company has recently gone public, and in its regulatory filings Facebook mentioned the migration of Web users to smartphone and tablets as one of the biggest threats to its business, as the company currently draws no meaningful revenue from mobile users. "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 Bilton.