For those who, like me, had never heard of it before, here's the Google link to the definitions:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS252US252&defl=en&q=define:i-mode&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Short version: It's a proprietary method of using a cell phone as a modem.

not a patch on its PC counterpart.

Actually Wind in Italy is still running i-mode

http://www.wind.it/imode/it/index.phtml

Mobile browsing is fine, it's when the operator tries to keep users within a walled garden that it goes pear shaped.

I used O2 i-mode; all the 'services' were crap. Fortunately the phone's browser was capable of basic rendering of the rest of the web.

Ironically, I switched to an iPhone contract, and O2 kept charging me for i-mode services for several months afterwards. The only way to unsubscribe from services was through i-mode itself; something I obviously couldn't do. I've managed to convince O2 to stop charging me now, but no luck in getting my money back.

And Bouygues has it too, albeit at the bottom of their offers page.

http://www.internetmobile.bouyguestelecom.fr/offres.php

http://www.internetmobile.bouyguestelecom.fr/offres_illi.php