A silver lining for Seattle in the DJI ban, and the verdict on the 2007 Camry tech retrofit

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Technology, News, Tech News

4.4 • 116 Ratings

🗓️ 3 January 2026

⏱️ 23 minutes

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Summary

The FCC delivered a massive shakeup to the drone industry right before the holidays, adding foreign-made drones (most notably from industry giant DJI) to its "Covered List" of national security threats. While the move effectively bans the sale of future DJI models in the U.S., GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook explore why this might be a golden economic opportunity for the Pacific Northwest.

Featuring highlights from a recent interview with Blake Resnick of Brinc, the Seattle-based maker of public safety drones, who lobbied for the U.S. policy change and supports the move.

Plus, the results are in. After ignoring John’s advice and deciding to retrofit his 2007 Toyota Camry with a modern infotainment system, Todd shares the verdict.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	But last we chatted about your car, you were planning to spend $2,500.
0:06.5	Several thousand dollars.
0:07.6	Not several.
0:08.5	That's several.
0:09.4	It said $2,500 is several thousand dollars.
0:10.9	No, it's not.
0:11.4	Several thousand dollars on retrofitting a...
0:14.8	How old of a car?
0:15.8	2007 Camry.
0:16.8	2007 Camry with some technological advances, including a backup camera.
0:22.9	Where do things stand?
0:24.9	And for the record, I was against this.
0:28.0	I'm about as frugal as it goes, but like I was saying, buy a new car.
0:32.8	I'll be honest with you.
0:34.0	I was kind of hoping that you forgot this. I forgot this.
0:37.5	Hi, and welcome to geek wire.
0:49.5	I'm geekwire co-founder, John Cook.
0:53.2	And welcome to 2026.
0:54.7	Here we are.
0:55.4	We're back.
0:56.0	We made it this far.
1:11.0	We're in the office and there's actual heat this time. That's right. We were freezing last time. I forgot about that. We're coming to you from Seattle where we get to report each day on what's happening around us in business, technology, and innovation. What happens here matters everywhere and every week on this show.
	...

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