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Problem:
Owncloud is a project which tries to create an open source cloud service. However, it is more difficult for a normal user to use owncloud than Google's service for instance.
I don't believe that owncloud will be largely set up by individuals on their computers, as this requires knowledge in networking, which most users don't have. Moreover, I think you need an Internet connection with fix IP to be able to use it, after configuring your router. You can rent a server, but once again, this requires knowledge to set up and it costs money.
The other model, which I think has more potential, is that you can get an owncloud account at a service provider which you can trust. But with this solution, it is likely that the storage size will be rather limited. If you have a big music collection, you will not be able to access it all of it with your smartphone.

Idea:
To overcome this constraint of limited storage, I think owncloud should be able to access data directly on your computer. The way I see it, there would be an application which would run on your local computer, in which you would define which folders you want to share. You would have to input the URL of your owncloud provider, login and password, and this application could be asked by the owncloud server to upload files on demand. Of course, to access this data from the cloud, the computer where the files are stored should be turned on, connected to the Internet, and running the application. But there would be no constraint of fix IP as this is the application which would contact the server.
This is different of syncing data : when syncing, data is stored both locally and on the server. Here, as the storage size is limited on the server, data is only stored locally. The server is only aware of the list of files available. When you click on one file in the owncloud frontend, the server would ask the application on the computer to upload it.
It would require the development of a plugin for owncloud and a local application for KDE. I think there are already some thoughts about such application for syncing files for example, both features could be integrated into the same one.

Limits:
I don't know if this is easily possible with the current infrastructure of owncloud. Moreover, I don't know what would be the result in terms of performance. Maybe some kind of peer-to-peer could be used to improve it.

Have you tried Opera Unite?

No, I haven't try Opera Unite. I'll test it when I have the occasion. But correct me if I'm wrong, Opera Unite can work only between two devices where Opera is installed. Adding this feature to owncloud would enable to access your files from any web browser, as long as your source computer is connected to the Internet. Moreover, Opera is free as free beer but not free as free software. I think an open source solution would be useful.

Correct. I was simply pointing out the similarity between the two - and perhaps you can draw some ideas from the Unite project.