Most Voted Apps jury member
For more than 30 years I've been explaining digital technology – in plain language, without jargon and without the hype. As ARD's digital expert I appear regularly on Tagesschau, Tagesthemen and WDR 5 "Netzdenker", I've published 140 non-fiction and technical books that have sold 1.5 million copies, and I run the tech publication schieb.de as well as the AI learning platform Superkraft KI. My guiding principle: AI doesn't think, it calculates. As a juror I judge apps from the perspective of the people who are supposed to use them every day – not from the developers'. What matters to me is whether an app solves a real problem, and whether you can use it without a manual.
Jörg’s Recommendations
Eleven Labs Inc.
ElevenReader reads aloud to me things I would never have read myself. Articles, PDFs, and e-books are transformed into audiobooks, using AI voices that sound amazingly natural—a far cry from the robotic, monotonous tones of earlier text-to-speech features. I use the app while out for a walk or in the car to work through my reading pile. For anyone who, like me, has a lot of text to get through every day, this really helps free up time.
Google LLC
My insider tip for studying: I import PDFs, web pages, or YouTube videos into a notebook and can then ask questions about them. The answers are based on my sources rather than just made up. My favorite feature is the audio summaries: Two AI voices go over my material like a podcast. I listen to them on the go, even offline. That way, an 80-page report turns into a relaxing quarter-hour on the train.
Be My Eyes ApS
The app with the biggest heart in my collection. Blind and visually impaired people point the camera at something and get help: either from sighted volunteers around the world or from an AI that describes labels, letters, or the washing machine display. I’m registered as a volunteer myself, and every request reminds me of what technology is really for. Here, AI makes everyday life tangibly easier—without all the hype.
PeakFinder GmbH
What’s the name of that mountain back there, anyway? PeakFinder answers that question before I’ve even finished thinking it. Just point the camera at it, and the names and elevations of all the peaks appear over the panorama. Best of all: The app works completely offline, even where there’s no network coverage. No subscription, no advertising gimmicks—just pay once and use it forever. That’s how apps should be.
Cornell University
To me, Merlin is the best proof that AI can do more than just write text. I hold my iPhone out into the garden, and the app shows me in real time who’s singing: a blackbird, a chiffchaff, a robin. It seems like magic, but it’s actually sophisticated pattern recognition based on a massive collection of audio recordings from the Cornell Lab. Ever since then, I’ve been listening with a whole new perspective on every bike ride. It’s free, ad-free, and an app that connects me to nature instead of a screen.