One of the disadvantages of having such smart friends is never knowing when they do great work.

When John writes an amazing OS X review, is it really amazing? Or am I just biased because John is my friend?

Is Overcast actually good? Or do I just really like Marco? Or maybe I just really like orange?

Are the retrospectives Stephen, Federico, and Myke did, for the iPhone and iPad, truly impressive and deserving of our praise? Or do I just find their unique accents so adorable?

I hope and suspect the answer to all of the above questions is “yes”.

When Myke sent me a pre-release version of the new Inquisitive, I was immediately floored. Myke has brought a level of research, discipline, storytelling, and polish to tech podcasting that I haven’t heard before.

Myke is a dear friend. We share a podcast together. I’m predisposed to like everything he touches.

Despite all that, I’m completely confident when I say Inquisitive: Behind the App is good. Really good.

Eschewing his previous interview/profile format, Myke has started Inquisitive anew, taking it in a very different direction. The first series is about making apps in today’s app-obsessed world. There are plenty of interviews in the episode, and perfectly tell the story that Myke is setting up.

It’s a neat and welcome change for me to hear all these voices in one show. As an exclusive listener of one-to-three-host podcasts, Inquisitive sounds so delightfully different to me. As an occasional listener to This American Life, I was very much reminded of that format and editing style. Given This American Life is one of the most popular podcasts on the planet, that’s quite a compliment.

I’m really impressed with the new Inquisitive. Not just because Myke is a friend, but because it’s damned good programming. If you’re a fan of ATP, you should really like it. If you’re not a podcast listener, Inquisitive is a wonderful way to dip your toe in the water. You won’t regret it.