A wireless mobile phone is equipped to operate in an unauthenticated and an authenticated mode of operation, depending on whether a user has been authenticated. In one embodiment, the wireless mobile phone includes a number of sensors to enable a user's heart beat profile to be captured and be used for authentication. In one embodiment, authentication is performed by comparing the real time captured heart beat profile against a reference heart beat profile. In one embodiment, the reference heart profit is retrieved from an identity card. The wireless mobile phone further includes a reader to retrieve the reference heart beat profile from the identity card.