The iPhone has a built-in, rechargeable battery that fills up a substantial chunk of the iPhone's interior. How long one charge can drive your iPhone depends on what you're doing—music playback saps the battery least, Internet (especially 3G Internet) and video sap it the most. But one thing is for sure: Sooner or later, you'll have to recharge the iPhone. For most people, that's every other day or (if you use 3G) every night.
You recharge the iPhone by connecting the white USB cable (or the white syncing cradle) that came with it. You can plug the far end into either of two places to supply power:
Your computer's USB jack. Just make sure that the Mac or PC won't go to sleep while the iPhone is plugged into it. Not only will the battery not charge, but it may actually lose charge if the computer isn't turned on.
The AC adapter. The little white two-prong cube that came with the iPhone snaps onto the end of the cradle's USB cable.
Unless the charge is really low, you can use the iPhone while it's charging. If the iPhone is unlocked, the battery icon in the upper-right corner displays a lightning bolt to let you know that it's charging. If it's locked, pressing the Home button shows you a battery gauge big enough to see from space.
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