AMI adds Bluetooth keyboard support to UEFI firmware

BIOS maker American Megatrends has announced that life is going to be significantly easier for tinkerers with tablets and all-in-ones from now one: it has added Bluetooth keyboard support to its UEFI platform.

While UEFI, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, has replaced the traditional IBM BIOS in modern systems, it still shares plenty in common with its predecessor. Chief among these is that it supports only traditional input devices, meaning that users with touch-screen gadgets and wire-free all-in-one setups need to find a keyboard and, more than likely, a USB On-The-Go (OTG) adapter cable if they need to make any changes to their device's configuration.

American Megatrends has decided that's silly, and has a solution: support for Bluetooth keyboards. Launching first in its flagship Aptio V UEFI firmware platform, the new feature allows users to move through the UEFI menus using a Bluetooth keyboard connected to their device's on-board radio, with no USB cables or adapters required.

'The addition of Bluetooth keyboard support to Aptio V UEFI firmware opens up a world of options for users of small form factor and touch-enabled devices,' claimed American Megatrends president and chief executive Subramonian Shankar, 'showing once again how AMI has its ear finely tuned to the present and future needs of our OEM customers and their end user consumers.'

AMI has not yet indicated when the first consumer devices featuring Bluetooth UEFI input will appear on the market, nor whether it will be introduced to existing systems via a downloadable firmware update.