Voicemail

An Irvine school is the first in California to apply new-age technology to an age-old problem: getting children to do their homework every night. With the installation several weeks ago of a voice-mail system, Los Naranjos Elementary School allows parents with touch-tone telephones to call in, enter a numerical code and hear their children's teachers tell what was taught in class that day, what parents can do to reinforce the lessons and what homework students are expected to complete.

Parents and pupils at an Irvine school have heard the future of homework and it sounds like this: Ring. Click. "Hellooo! Thank you for calling Los Naranjos School Parent Information Hotline. . . . Please enter your two-digit class number to receive information from your child's teacher at any time during this message." Computerized voice mail is the latest attempt to help harried parents and teachers connect--a move seen by many as crucial to improving student achievement.

The recent plunge in the stock of Santa Barbara-based Digital Sound Corp. appears to suggest that the firm is an endangered player in the booming voicemail business. But industry analysts and Digital's own customers doubt that the company's problems are anything more than temporary. Digital remains a highly respected competitor in voicemail technology; it just has to relearn how to market its leading-edge equipment, industry experts say.

Italcable U.S.A., a subsidiary of Italcable SpA, which is half-owned by the Italian government, has acquired 1.4 million shares, or 29.4%, of Voicemail International Inc., the Santa Clara, Calif., maker of voice-forwarding systems. The acquisition was in the form of $2 million worth of Voicemail's 9% convertible subordinated debentures due July 13, 1994, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Italcable SpA is half-owned by the Italian government.

Pacific Bell said Monday that it is beginning to offer voice-mail messaging service to its medium-to-large business telephone customers--and will soon test a similar service for small businesses and residential customers in San Pedro and the Silicon Valley town of Milpitas. The new business service will initially be available only to the company's business customers served by Centrex switching equipment.