Yes, you can plug in a USB cable and copy photos and videos straight off the file system just like you can with Android.
You can also set OneDrive to automatically upload them through wireless when you're connected and sync your computer with that... I used to do similar with Dropbox in Android. That way, all your new photos and videos get on to your PC without you thinking about it.
As a long time Android user, I didn't find any real problem doing anything I wanted to do on Windows Phone 8.1 with the latest update now that VPN is supported. It also has the Swipe type keyboard which I got so used to on Android and really could not do without now.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
