Windows Phone Mango has edged closer to being released in the wild today, with Microsoft confirming it has sent out the “release to manufacturing” build of its OS to mobile makers.

This means the likes of HTC, Samsung, Nokia and LG can start testing the operating system on their devices, as well as giving mobile networks the chance to check that everything works hunky dory on their phones too.

The new OS is expected to be made available first in a Japan-only Fujitisu handset next month. Nokia is likely to reveal its first Windows Phone in October, with the HTC Omega also expected to land soon. Current Windows Phones will be getting the update to Mango throughout the autumn.

Windows Phone Mango comes packing the all-new IE9 browser, a threads feature for aggregating messaging and multitasking smarts.

Windows Phone Mango video