Java example?

Folks,

Couple of quick questions - I see the Java API's last release date was in 2007.  Is this the most current API?

Also, is there a simple example that shows how a search is performed using the API.  I see all the classes and
methods are documented, but I do not see what are the few lines of code to initiate these requests and get
results.  Any sample would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Razi