BlackBerry ups outlook, adjusted earnings beat; shares rise

By Alastair Sharp and Allison Martell TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd on Tuesday posted an adjusted profit that beat expectations even as revenue dropped sharply, as the software growth it is relying on failed to fully make up for its retreat from handsets and lost service fees. The Canadian smartphone pioneer has gone through a wrenching transition in recent years featuring huge writedowns and job cuts as it seeks to build up a software business not tied directly to its eponymous smartphones