Facebook phone rumours resurface with hiring of ex-Apple engineers

It's been a while since rumours of a Facebook phone were quashed but the rumour mill has creaked back into action, thanks to the New York Times, whose sources claim that several ex-Apple engineers who worked on the iPhone and iPad have made their way into the Zuckerberg camp.

The news should be encouraging to Facebook's shareholders, who have had to deal with sharp drops in the company's valuation since it went public, though we'll reserve our judgement of the mythical Facebook phone until (or indeed if) it sees the light of day.

It's far too early to tell what a Facebook-made phone will be able to offer that the Facebook app cannot, but here's to hoping it won't involve targeted ads mid-phone call. Stay tuned for more info, as and when we get it.