Getting fit with the help of self-quantified data is the new craze.  So it’s not surprising to see loads of fitness equipment and tools available in the market.  But of all the fitness tools available, there’s one little gadget fitness buffs are raving about: the Fitbit Tracker.

The Fitbit tracker measures your steps taken, distance walked, calories burned, floors climbed, and activity duration and intensity and people have sung its praises since 2008 when it was first released.  But because it was such a hit, other companies made better trackers that works well with their smartphones, which left FitBit in a bit of a slump.

But things might turn to their favor as they’ve added two new trackers to their lineup: the THE ONE Wireless Activity & Sleep Tracker and the ZIP Wireless Activity Tracker.

The Zip tracks steps, distance, and calories burned and syncs via Bluetooth 4.0 the collected data to your computer and smartphone, but you can also use a USB dongle.  The gadget itself is as big as a piece of Godiva chocolate at 1.4 x 1.1 x 3.8 inches, and comes in various colors such as white, black, lime, pink, and royal blue.   It’s also splash and water-proof, and comes with a rubber holder with a clip so it’s easy to attach to your clothing (or undergarments, if you want to conceal it).

On the downside, the Zip also has a monochrome resistive touchscreen that rotates through the stats, so you might want to tap a bit harder on it for it to react to the pressure of your touch.  It doesn’t have a backlight either, so good luck with using it in the dark.

But the Zip has a cute smiley face that keeps getting happier the more mobile or active you are – it’s some kind of positive motivation to keep you going.  The gadget also clears its memory every night at midnight and store them up to your FitBit.com account so you can see how well or poorly you’re doing.  For $60, Fitbit Zip is quite a good buy especially if you’re looking for a tracker that you can wear all day and is easy to conceal.

As for the Fitbit One, it has the same features as the Zip with some extra perks.  It tracks stairs-climbed, features sleep tracking capabilities, and a silent alarm that vibrates to wake you up.  It too syncs your data wirelessly.

And if you want to completely go crazy getting fit, you should also get Fitbit’s Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale that measures weight, body mass index and percentage of body fat.  The scale can track up to eight users and comes with a free smartphone app for Android and iPhone, so your weight progress will always be available in the app, which also helps you monitor your food intake.

The great thing about FitBit compared to other trackers is that is is easily concealable, unlike the Nike+Fuelband or Motorola’s MOTOACTV.  They look like wristwatches since they also tell time aside from tracking your steps, calories burned etc. but they can be quite an eyesore, especially if you’re wearing a suite or a cocktail dress.  So tracking your whole day’s progress will either be impossible or you’d have to bear the “What in the world is she wearing?” stare at a cocktail party.  I’ll give the score to FitBit on this one, since you can just clip it to your undies and get on with your life.

On FitBit’s team

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Taking a few extra steps may help you reach your target weight, but eating whatever you want sure as hell will make it harder.  So better partner Fitbit with Lose It! an app that lets you track your food intake.  The app is free for iOS and Android devices, claiming to have helped millions of people.

You can also try MyFitnessPal, free for iOS and Android, which serves as a calorie counter and it also features 350 exercises to help you shed weight.  There’s also Endomondo, an app that uses the built-in GPS to track running, cycling, walking and any other distance-based sport.  It also provides users audio feedback based on your performance during your workout, and your friends can follow you live and send you peptalks in real-time.  A free version is available for iOS and Android devices.

Saga is one of the more recent apps to tap FitBit data, incorporating your workouts into the story of your life.

To find out more apps that works well with Fitbit, click here.