RIM's next rival from St. John's

For years, Consilient Technologies Corp. has helped Research In Motion Ltd. send e-mail to BlackBerry wireless devices. But now the small Canadian firm is ready to step out of its brethren's shadow and launch its own assault on the market.

Consilient unveiled software Monday that it says performs the same function as RIM's data-on-the-go software, but at a fraction of the price. Where BlackBerry customers are paying at least $40 or $50 a month, users of Consilient's technology will be able to get e-mail on their cellphones for as little as $3 or $5 a month, the firm says.