Interestingly, met some one in Mumbai who does digital printing of a photo quality on tiles now! Wood and glass as well, some of their work was mind blowing.
Those are coloured cement tiles. Obvious advantages are the striking colours and the variety of patterns you can come up with. You could even get the tiles made in any pattern you if you wish to. Also, they keep cool (even more so than mosaic tiles/flooring) and are pretty cheap as well. However, they are thicker than other tiles and they don't come in larger sizes. They need daily mopping to maintain the finish and are prone to grow very dull if left without maintenance.
They might look good in balconies/side porches/garden etc but they probably won't go with the aesthetics of a typical modern building in general.