MAM
Haier India forays into the mobile space
MUMBAI: The home appliance major Haier, touted as the second largest home appliances brand in the world, today unveiled seven GSM state of the art mobile phones officially foraying into the mobile handset segment in India. The range of phones include entry level cost effective phones like Z 100 offering a standby time of 18 days to a handset that comes with FM radio to high end models like the P 7 which is said to be the world’s first pen phone with 300K pixel camera and a dicta phone.
Haier mobile phones are being launched all over India in a span of 15 days. Haier arrived in India in June 2004.
Speaking on the occasion Haier India president and CEO TK Banerjee said, “It is our pleasure to be a part of the rapidly growing Indian cellular industry. We hope to have a significant presence in the Indian mobile telephony segment by the end of year. We hope that our phones with their unique features which have made them popular worldwide will also be widely welcomed by the Indian consumers. Introduction of mobile phones also reflect Haier India’s commitment to provide best and latest technology to Indian consumers.”
Haier India director Pranay Dhabhai added, ” Haier has a vast range of mobile phone models and these seven models are most suited for the Indian market as they cater to the requirement of all segments and user needs. Our entire range of mobile phones comprising over sixty models is designed to meet individual customer requirements.”
The company officials also stated that the aim was to be among the top four players who constitute 90 per cent of the market today. Coming to distribution, Haier has tied up with Trust Telecom who will act as the national distributor for the company’s mobile arm. A nation wide after sales service network has already been set up, which is in the process of expansion.
A full range of CDMA phones will be launched in three months.
The base line for Haier mobile phones is coined as ‘Talk your talk’. The company also enjoys strategic alliances for component sourcing with Intel, Fujitsu and other world leaders.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
