Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has announced that the firm's latest mobile platform, Windows Mobile 5.0, has finished its testing phase and is ready to be released to manufacturing.

Speaking at the Microsoft Mobile & Embedded DevCon 2005, the company's annual mobile and embedded developer conference, Gates said that the platform features updated mobile versions of Office and Media Player, together with support for hard drives and persistent memory storage.

Microsoft said that support for persistent memory storage was the most requested productivity feature from partners and customers. The technology allows a mobile device to retain information even when the battery is depleted.

Windows Mobile 5.0 also provides device manufacturers and mobile operators with increased platform flexibility, allowing them more easily to customise handhelds based on the platform, according to Microsoft.

The mobile operating system also boasts improved network support to enable more flexibility in integrating with mobile phone services across a variety of infrastructures, including higher-bandwidth third-generation and Wi-Fi networks. Bluetooth support has also been improved.

Security has been beefed up with features such as Bluetooth authorisation, and support for end-to-end encryption over a virtual private network.

"In the past five years there has been a profound shift in the kind of data and services people access on their mobile devices, from multimedia to business applications," said Gates.

John Jackson, senior analyst at Yankee Group, added: "Windows Mobile 5.0 is an important evolutionary step for the Windows Mobile platform, which continues to gain traction worldwide.

"Enhancements in the platform give wireless network operators and mobile device vendors the ability to deliver customised, differentiated services and devices, while meeting market demand for robust, scalable and segmented offerings."