We have talked about hydrogen fuel cells before around here. The ones we are familiar with are usually small and can barely produce enough power to charge a smartphone. The world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell is shipping to Ohio for its 5-year trial run.

The massive fuel cell is mounted inside a semi trailer and produces enough juice to run 500 homes. The actual amount of power the fuel cell produces is 1 megawatt, almost enough to send Doc Brown back to the future. The massive fuel cell produces only water as a byproduct.

Hydrogen fuel cells are one of the things that promise to power our gadgets without needing to plug them in or use electricity. However, getting the hydrogen for the fuel cells to run on does require power of some sort.

A new device called the HydroFill is available that can be ran from an AC outlet or a solar panel. The device uses plain distilled water to generate hydrogen that it stores inside HydroStik containers. Those HydroStik containers can then be used in the MiniPak hand held fuel cell charger.

Horizon’s MiniPak is available for $100. It’s the first personal, portable fuel cell on the market for those in the US. Think of it as a mini power plant that will charge your gadgets. Each cartridge can hold a charge equal to a thousand AA batteries.

So you get a lot for your money, since the cost of AA batteries adds up. It comes with a bunch of connectors that will work with most common devices, and it all fits in the palm of your hand.

If the Terminator movies have taught us anything, it’s that Judgment day is coming, so smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em. And there’s no better way to light up than with this Terminator Salvation Fuel Cell Lighter. See, there’s a Nuclear Fuel Cell embedded in the chest of every Terminator.

This one happens to double as a lighter. Which would be perfect for Arnold Schwarzenegger since he’s a Terminator and also likes the cigars. Just don’t go tossing this thing while driving, like Arnold did in T3, unless you like mushroom clouds.

Sony showed off some fuel cell prototypes at the Fuel Cell Expo 2009 in Tokyo. Pictured are some fuel cell-powered speakers and a charger that create power with only pure water as a byproduct.

The silver speakers can play music and power a mobile device, while that thing that resembles a coffee maker is a completely wireless speaker system that is capable of running for months with its container of ethanol. The blue thing will charge up anything with a USB port.

I know many gadget fans are looking forward to the day when fuel cells power our gadgets so that we can be free of AC outlets for good. Fuel cells will eventually make their way into our notebook computers and mobile phones. An interim step is a fuel cell charger for mobile devices.

MTI MicroFuel Cells has announced its prototype Mobion fuel cell charger that is hand held and can charge an average mobile phone for up to a month on one fuel cartridge. When the cartridge runs dry, you simply snap in a new one and keep charging.

This isn’t the first time we’ve told you about fuel cell technology in laptops. Back in July Lenovo was trying their hand at a prototype laptop using fuel cells. But Panasonic’s latest fuel cell breakthrough is the world’s smallest designed for notebooks. At 270cc, it’s about the same size as the existing lithiums. The key is that they use highly concentrated methanol, similar to what the military uses. Just 200cc will give you 20 hours of power. The prototype weighs just 320 grams.

If you prefer to charge your gadgets by fuel cell, they have a paperback-sized device that will get the job done. The company is expecting both to be available in 2012. Don’t worry, we shouldn’t need to carry around tanks of methanol.

When you talk fuel cell technology, you generally think cars. Well, fuel cell technology could end up under the hood of your laptop in just a few short years. Maybe sooner.

A company based in California named PolyFuel has been working on an interesting prototype that converts methanol fuel to electricity to power a laptop. The Lenovo T40 ThinkPad is being used as PolyFuel’s prototype. The fuel cell is about the size of a standard deck of cards. Running at full capacity, it will supposedly have 10 times the power of similar Lithium Ion batteries. That translates to three times the battery life, which is about 10 hours. Refillable cartridges can be carried and switched on the go, making it super easy and convenient.

The REVOLUTE would certainly get you some attention riding around in your neighborhood. It even has a remote that can reconfigure the wheelbase depending on how you want to ride it.

If you have something to say to your fellow humans, personalized messages can be flashed from the display along the entire cockpit!. Harsha Vardhan made the vehicle out of high tech materials like lexan, carbon fiber, etc. The seats inside swivel. Looks like a comfy little vehicle to get crushed in.

Apparently, Angstrom Power is not just working on fuel cells for MOTOSLVR L7 prototypes. The company is also touting its G2 portable fuel cell power source that will keep a whole wide range of gadgets charged. It looks like an mp3 player from a mirror universe, but I digress. This one has eight V60 Fuel Cell Modules that all together provide two watts of power. That can be used to top off any device that charges with a USB connection.

Angstrom says that the G2 itself can also be replenished “in minutes,” by using an Angstrom P2 Portable Refueling Cartridge or an R1 Refueling Station, and it can withstand “several charges” before it needs to be refueled. No word on pricing or availability, but it will likely show up before those fuel cell-powered cellphones, which seem to be on track for a release around 2010.

I am really looking forward to the day when my laptop will run for a month thanks to a fuel cell and I can forget to charge my phone for weeks without it going dead on me. Basically if I never had to buy another battery that would be great. Fuel cells tease us with these possibilities, but they are slow to come to market.

MTI MicroFuel Cells is showing off a new handheld GPS device prototype that uses its Mobion embedded fuel cell for power. A typical GPS powered by AA batteries can last for days of use. MTI says that its Mobion powered GPS device can run for weeks. The fuel cell provides enough power for 60 hours of continuous use.