This paper presents a review and discussion of micro-fuel cell technologies, providing insight into the innovations that have been made to date. Discussion of concepts and results leading towards increased levels of integration and performance for micro-fuel cell systems will elucidate the potential of thin film and microfabrication methods in meeting the challenges and requirements necessary for consumer applications. While the amount of literature in this area is substantial, a representative sampling of key developments will be presented in this paper, in order to gain a sense of the design methodologies being implemented for micro-fuel cell power sources. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.