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AT&T's Street Charge stations keep your phone alive (pictures)

The carrier is setting up 25 solar-powered charging stations in various parks throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Roger Cheng
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Roger Cheng
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Meet AT&T's Street Charge station

AT&T is setting up 25 of these solar-powered stations in parks throughout the five boroughs of New York City. This is a trial to see if the company wants to deploy more. Here, a New York parks employee is checking out the station in Riverside Park.
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Street Charge works with all devices

The station has six plugs in total, one micro-USB, one older 30-pin connector for the iPhone 4S and older versions, and the Lightning connector for the iPhone 5 and newer iPads. The other three are female USB inputs for other mobile devices and chargers.
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Long-lasting battery

The charging station is designed to provide three to four days of continuous charging, and is packed with batteries. Direct sunlight can fully charge the station in four hours, and it can still get a charge during cloudy and even rainy days. The structure was designed by Brooklyn-based Pensa, and the solar power technology supplied by Goal Zero.
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The scenic route

A runner zips past the charging station placed in Riverside Park on Monday.
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Getting your charge on

Park-goers were slow to approach the charging station, but when they realized what it was, were eager to plug in their smartphones. Each station will have an AT&T representative nearby to help users.
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Getting the right shot

CNET producer Richard Peterson gets up on a ladder for that crucial shot of the Street Charge's solar panels.
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Some assembly required

The charging stations are easy to assemble and disassemble. In fact, the technicians at Riverside Park decided the station would be better away from the steps, and moved the station several feet closer to the water.
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Not easy to steal

A note to would-be thieves: that base weighs 450 pounds, and the round stabilizing plate beneath it is another 50 pounds. The tower itself took three men to carry.
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A quick install

The three technicians got the station up in the new location after just 10 minutes. The earlier location was close to set of steps that could be used to jump on to the station itself, so it was moved. An AT&T representative said that each "wing" on the top of the station could, in fact, support a person's weight.

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