you're stuck with the browser
The cross platform capabilities (and already-existing web awareness) of browsers make them the ideal UI for web-based apps, file sharing etc... the cloud. Look for greater use of them as 'cloud' matures.
I can see some developer just after you've told her that you simply want to xfer files from your android to your laptop... "why would you want to do that?" ("..when you've got this perfectly good cloud right here?")
There's also the assumption that internet connectivity will soon be universal. The same devs don't appear to be concerned with bandwidth, to them every trivial file transfer goes through the cloud one way or another. The reasons for this are numerous and not all of them are known to those who don't know what's behind the given API.
But I hear ya loud and clear. I've reluctantly concluded that I need to begin exploring open source "private cloud" server software so I can keep certain of my clients safe.
