It was great while it lasted… Google has a long-established pattern of creating great, free services, and then gradually beginning to charge for them. Witness GMail for Domains, which initially allowed 50 then later 10 free accounts, but which now costs $50/user/year for new set-ups (the old, free ones are still grandfathered in — for now). This time, it’s Maps that Google is aiming to monetize.
