When HTC updated its Locations app to support offline navigation with voice prompts, we were pretty impressed with its offering, which compared favorably against Nokia Drive. While we praised features like its lane-change notifications, it seems like the app is about to get quite a bit less attractive, upon the arrival of news that users will have to shell-out some cash to continue using turn-by-turn voice navigation.

Just what it will cost you to continue using voice nav depends on what geographical range you;d like covered and how long you’d like the license to last. An unlimited license, which apparently grants lifetime access, costs $30 for just the US, $40 when you add-in Mexico and Canada, and Europe costs what works out to a staggering $64.

Granted, you can buy yearly or monthly licenses for less money, but those end up being much worse deals than the unlimited licenses.

Have we been spoiled by too much free access to maps that the thought of paying for continued access seems so foreign to us? You can always continue to use Locations for free without the benefit of its voice nav, but we have a feeling that this move may be interpreted as a money-grab by a good number of users and turn them away from the app altogether.

Source: WinPhoneBG (Google Translate)

Via: WPCentral